


We'll Just Have To Improvise

by carrieonokay



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Action, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romantic Fluff, Sex, Shameless Smut, Strong Female Characters, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:34:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 30,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29336886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carrieonokay/pseuds/carrieonokay
Summary: Riley Davis is a pro at burying her emotions. But when a mission gone wrong gets particularly revealing, will she let the moment with Mac pass her by? No matter what, she'll need him on her side to face some surprising challenges ahead.
Relationships: Riley Davis/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Comments: 181
Kudos: 217





	1. Be Prepared

**Author's Note:**

> Be warned all, this is a very long fic! Started as an exercise to improve my action and dialogue and morphed into a wonderful lockdown distraction. 
> 
> Set approx 2 months after Jack's death. 
> 
> This chapter involves a ski lift (just to whet your appetite). 
> 
> There are a few big surprises ahead. Also, be warned: Things are likely to get explicit at some point and I'm not shying away from 'bad' language. Didn't want to post with high rating since chapters will be easy to read around but safe to say this is NOT appropriate for children. I'll put warnings before chapters for those who are concerned.

The sound of the engines on the jet were slowly lulling Riley into a stupor. She was meant to be reading over the briefing packets Matty had left on the plane for them but honestly, whoever wrote them was _not_ concise. After the forty-third page of detailed personnel profiles that included the family circumstances, health records and dietary quirks for each of Dachmann’s henchmen, Riley was falling asleep.

A soft chuckle sounded from behind her. It was a warm sound and Riley smiled in spite of herself.

‘What’s so funny, Mac?’ She called out.

‘Did you get to Baumgarten? Dude is allergic to peanuts, dairy and sugar. That must’ve made for a crappy childhood.’

Riley chuckled. ‘Yeah. How do you even get a job as a henchmen if you’re that fragile?’

‘Ha! He also suffers from Hyperthyroidism.’ Mac rounded the chair and flopped down opposite her.

Riley raised her eyebrows at him.

‘That’s basically acute intolerance to cold.’ He cocked his head to the side.

‘He works in a ski lodge!’

Mac chuckled and threw the thick briefing pack down on the opposite chair. It hit the leather with a slap. He stretched his long legs out in front of him, lifted his arms up and tipped his head back to stretch out his spine. His hair fell over his forehead and Riley found herself resisting the overwhelming urge to brush it back.

It was easier to distance herself from him when the others were with them. With Russ and Desi on assignment tracking a super vague Codex lead and Bozer assisting Matty from the war room, Mac and Riley had been shipped off on their own. This was their third solo mission this month. At first Riley had suspected Matty (on the likely advice of Bozer) was splintering the group to allow Desi and Mac some distance. But honestly, if anything, working conditions between Mac and Desi seemed to have actually improved since the split.

A piercing ring sounded from Riley’s laptop, and she tore her eyes away before Mac jumped up, abruptly ending her reverie. He sat down in the seat beside her as she prepared to answer the video call.

Matty’s face filled the screen. She got straight to the point. ‘Any concerns about your briefing packets?’

‘Yeah about that, Matty…’ Riley looked to Mac for backup. His face was inches from hers.

He cleared his throat. ‘I don’t think it’s really gonna come in all that handy knowing that Dachmann’s third back-up driver has an allergy to penicillin.’

‘And an aversion to spiders,’ Riley added.

‘Call it in flight entertainment, Blondie.’

After the haranguing from their boss and a through review of the plan, Riley and Mac figured it was time to get their asses properly geared up for landing. They both took turns getting changed in the bathroom. Riley was perched against the basin, trying to yank on her snow boots when there was a knock at door. She pulled it open to find Mac leaning against the doorframe, his lean arms and torso wrapped in a flattering black thermal. He had a plastic card in his hand.

‘Can’t forget these.’ He smirked. Riley had programmed the passes to allow access to every lift in the resort, including the one that would get them up to Dachmann’s restaurant and lodge.

‘Yeah we’re gonna need those.’ She smiled and took it, zipping it in her pants pocket. ‘Got our comms?’

He handed her a comm case. ‘I’ve got the emergency SAT phone in here,’ he said, patting his chest pocket. ‘And there’s this.’

When she lifted her eyes Mac had produced a little chemical heat pack.

‘Put it in your coat pocket,’ he handed it to her. ‘It’s cold up there and us Californians can use all the help we can get.’

‘Be prepared,’ she smirked, earning her a warm chuckle.

*****

They passed the half-hour drive from the airstrip in companionable silence. The resort was straightforward enough to find; Riley just followed one of the airport shuttles. Their 4x4 easily handled the roads, which were well cleared and gritted, even as they wound their way up steep mountain slopes. Which was a relief, since Riley had very little experience driving in snow.

The problems began when they got up onto the ski lift. The sun was setting and there were droves of people lugging skis and boards on packed lifts streaming past them on their way down. Riley figured she must be missing something about this whole sport since she’d assumed the point was to _ski_ down the mountain, not hitch a lift. The slopes must’ve been closing.

As a result, the cable car they got into was practically empty. A young couple wearing matching fur-trimmed snowsuits got on behind them and headed straight into the corner, where they proceeded to make-out. Mac didn’t even notice. He just flung himself into the seat in the very centre of the car and slammed his eyes shut. As the lift propelled itself out of the station and started moving slowly upward, Mac groaned and put his head between his knees. Riley had figured this would be a problem. She also knew it was a long fifteen minute ride to the top.

She sighed and sat down next to him, her backpack jutting into the plastic seat back. Her fingers were itching to touch him, comfort him. She settled instead for removing her gloves and twisting them round her fingers.

‘Hey Mac,’ she nudged him. ‘What do you call a bird that’s afraid of heights?’

‘You’re trying to distract me,’ he murmured. ‘Sorry Riles but it’s not working.’ He lifted his eyes to smirk at her. ‘Besides, I’ve heard that one.’

‘Oh really?’

‘Yeah. That’s one of Jack’s favourite insults.’

 _So it was_. Riley tore her eyes away from his, just like she did every time Jack was vaguely mentioned. She couldn’t yet remember him in passing without feeling a stab of pain. Mac reached out a gloved hand to her and she took it without thinking.

The lift hopped and bobbed over the first of many propulsion towers and Mac closed his eyes again, breathing hard. He squeezed her hand just a bit tighter.

‘Come on Mac, you know better than anyone that these things are perfectly safe. These cables are unbreakable. Just breathe.’

‘Yeah, yeah I know. I know. But we’re still dangling thousands of feet in the air in a tin can over a fucking ravine.’ He chuckled darkly. They hopped past another towering structure and Mac mumbled something under his breath that sounded almost like a prayer. It included the words _transport velocity_ and _tensile strength_. Riley smiled.

The car continued it’s ascent, swaying slightly back and forth, she assumed, because there was so little weight in it. Riley ignored the smacking sounds coming from the corner, the odd thud against the back window, and admired the panoramic view ahead of her. Her hand was still firmly in Mac’s grip. As the car dragged them higher, they passed over the slopes far below and up over a tree-covered precipice. Suddenly, the force of the setting sun beamed all around them, reflecting on the drifts beneath, seemingly setting the snow on fire.

‘Wow,’ Riley breathed. She’d never seen anything like it.

‘What?’ Mac nudged her. His eyes were still firmly closed.

‘Mac,’ she smiled. ‘Open your eyes. It’s amazing up here.’

‘I’ll take your word for it.’

‘Seriously,’ she said. ‘Just open them for a second.’ He groaned and put his forehead on her shoulder.

‘Why don’t you just describe it to me?’ he mumbled. She huffed.

‘Fine. I’ll try. Okay, there are huge white mountains all around us. The sun is going down and all the peaks look orange and gold. The trees in the distance look like loads of little black dots wearing white hats and the streaks of pink and orange sunlight are making the snow glitter.’ She smiled and shook her head. ‘It’s just awesome.’ Some of the mountains in the distance were black, silhouetted against the vibrant sky. There was no way she could describe this view with any justice.

‘Well when you put it like that…’ Mac lifted his head, took a deep breath and opened one eye. Then two. ‘Okay,’ he huffed, ‘That’s pretty cool.’ He turned his glorious smile on her. The sun’s deep glow was reflected in his eyes. Riley forgot how to breathe.

‘You know this is the highest peak in Germany?’ He asked, apparently oblivious to her struggles. They passed over another tower and Mac bolted his eyes shut again as the car continued to jerk up and down. His face was inches from hers and contorted with fear. Ignoring the roaring in her ears, Riley dropped her gloves and brought her hands up to cup his face, resting her forehead against his.

‘Just breathe, Mac,’ she whispered. He did. His breath was heavy and warm on her face. The pads of her thumbs gently caressed his cheeks. Slowly, Mac pulled back to look at her. The glow was still in his eyes as his gaze dipped to her mouth.

There was a sharp jolt and Riley flung her hands down. A giggle sounded as the couple in the corner skipped past them and out the sliding door. They’d made it to the peak.

Mac practically had to drag Riley from the moving car in time since she’d dropped to the floor to retrieve one of her gloves. They stood for a moment on the metal station platform, panting slightly, before Mac tore his eyes away from hers. The metal clicks and groans of the machinery whirred around them.

‘We made it!’ he huffed out a heavy breath. ‘Thanks, Riles. That would’ve been torture if you hadn’t kept me distracted.’

Riley looked anywhere but into his eyes. ‘No worries, Mac.’ She went to turn her comms on. ‘Let’s get this show on the road.’ Frantically, she shoved her gloves back on and tried to rub feeling back into her cold fingers. She was also trying to shake the phantom touch of her hand in his.


	2. Henchmen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a shared moment on the Ski lift, the mission at Dachmann's Lodge gets underway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you THANK YOU for all the hits and kudos and comments everyone! I'm thrilled people are reading this.
> 
> This chapter involves a badass Riley, and a tiny tidbit for German speakers.

Mac and Riley trailed the couple from their cable car over to Dachmann’s lodge. It was huge. Hundreds of skis and boards were stacked up in haphazard piles against yards of steel racks neatly aligned to within a few yards of the entrance. Dozens of wooden tables were lined up outside on a broad deck, all packed full of merry après skiers waving steins of beer at each other. Coats and abandoned ski boots littered the benches and floors. Riley almost tripped over a backpack as they wound their way through the throng. They certainly wouldn’t have any problems going unnoticed. She had to give Matty props: This op had been timed to perfection.

There were shouts and hoots of recognition as the make-out couple joined a massive group of friends and they disappeared in a flurry of hugs and coats.

‘Let’s get to the bar,’ Mac shouted. He grabbed her hand and she gripped it gratefully, desperate not to loose him amongst the mob. She’d touched him more today than she had in months. Like a junkie with a fix, she rationalised it by insisting it was necessary for mission success. 

‘Remember guys,’ Matty said in their ears. ‘Dachmann likes to hang out with his patrons. You need eyes on before you make a move on his office. You don’t want to get caught in there.’ Riley looked around, but she couldn’t see him amongst the crowds.

Eventually, they fought their way to the bar. This was hopeless. If they were going to have any chance of finding the scumbag they needed to split up.

‘Mac,’ she signalled toward the opposite side of the bar and he nodded. She made her way across the room, batting fleecy elbows and furry hoods out of her face as she went. She heard Mac in her ear shouting something in flawless German. She assumed he just dismissed the bartender.

Riley checked out the far corner first, where a large French family seemed to be enjoying a loud schnitzel dinner, before heading back to the far side of the bar. There was still no sign of Dachmann but she did spy one of his henchmen: Kruger, if her memory served. He was looking her up and down like a piece of meat on a hook, which was all the more disgusting given that his profile said he was married with three kids.

She swiftly turned her back on him. ‘Ugh,’ she choked into her comm.

‘Got him?’ Mac shouted.

‘No,’ she rolled her eyes. ‘Just one of his goons.’

‘He’s not over here either. I’m headed to you.’

Someone bumped into her left side. She was about to shove back when she realised who it was. Kruger’s breath was foul. What he’d said would’ve been obvious in any language but she blinked innocently and simpered, ‘Sorry, I don’t speak German.’ She was about to turn tail and split when he grabbed her arm.

‘Ah,’ drawled Kruger. ‘So the pretty girl is American.’

Riley looked pointedly at her arm. ‘The pretty girl doesn’t like to be touched,’ she yanked herself free.

He leaned down and breathed, ‘American girls need to learn manners.’ He was right in her face. She had to fight the urge to gag.

Riley smiled sarcastically at him. ‘So do old German men.’

She spun on her heel and went to walk away but Kruger grabbed both of her arms from behind, pulling her into his chest. He mumbled something as he dragged her backwards, away from the baying crowds. She let him pull her a few paces into a dark corner, knowing it would help hide the commotion when she took him down. He loosened his grip to spin her round and she took the opportunity to land a hard kick to his balls. He shrieked and doubled over, offering her excellent access to his ugly face. She kneed him hard in the jaw and he collapsed in a heap.

‘Everything okay over there, Riley?’ Matty asked in her ear. It sounded like she was smiling.

‘All good, Matty. Kind of had to take out one of Dachmann’s guys but he had it coming.’

‘Ouch.’ Mac was behind her, holding two small steins of beer. ‘I’m assuming he deserved that?’

Riley smiled at him. ‘He did indeed.’ She gestured at the glasses in his hand and raised her eyebrows.

‘When in Bavaria, do as the Bavarians do?’ He shrugged. She was about to laugh when she spotted Dachmann over his left shoulder.

‘Got him. Two o’clock.’ Honestly, he looked more like an overgrown ski bum than any arms dealer she’d ever seen. But Riley supposed that figures, since he chooses to run his operation from the top of a mountain.

Mac placed the beers on a nearby table and shot a discreet glance over his shoulder. ‘Looks like at least five of his guys are with him,’ he added. ‘I like those odds.’

‘Let’s go.’ Riley made her way past the heap that was Kruger and down the hall toward Dachmann’s office, Mac at her back.

It took Mac all of five seconds to pick the lock on the heavy wooden door. As suspected, the room was clear of henchmen. Riley yanked her tablet from her bag and set to work establishing a hard line to his network. In four minutes flat his encrypted files were cracked and whinging their way to Phoenix.

‘You getting this, Matty?’ Riley asked.

‘Got it,’ Matty responded.

‘Going through the data now, Riley.’ Bozer added cheerfully.

‘Nice work, guys. I’ve got exfil waiting for you down in the valley.’

‘Record time,’ Mac smirked at her from the doorway. ‘But we’re not home free yet, Matty.’ he grimaced. ‘How much longer, Riles?’

‘Maybe another minute. Why?’

Mac had his ear flat to the door. ‘I think your friend might be waking up...’ Even from her present position across the room, Riley could hear raised voices out in the bar.

‘Fuck,’ she breathed. There were around twenty seconds left on the progress bar. She stood up and hovered her hand over the connection, ready to pull the plug and haul-ass at the last possible moment.

Three. Two _. One_. She yanked at the cable, grabbed the tablet and Riley and Mac flung themselves out of the office as fast as they could. Kruger was blocking their way to the bar, his back to them as he was yelling and waving his arms at a gathering crowd of Dachmann’s men. A few other henchmen were milling through the crowd beyond. They were obviously looking for the woman that had the nerve to turn down Kruger’s advances with a merciless kick to the balls.

Riley took one look at Mac and they turned tail and hustled toward the back of the building. It wouldn’t be long before Dachmann realised they weren’t just there for the beers. Mac hauled open a large door opposite the kitchen and pulled her inside. Wherever they were, it was _freezing_ after the stifling humidity of the bar. Automatic strip lights pinged on over their heads, revealing a massive pine-clad garage. There were tons of skis haphazardly lining one wall and gym benches and racks draped with matching red and black snowsuits on the other. A gigantic snowplough and three massive snowmobiles, one with an emergency sled attached, occupied the vast floor space nearest the exit ramp. Thankfully, it was open to the elements.

Riley and Mac dashed over the heavy rubber mats towards the exit. Just as it looked like they’d make it outside, Riley heard the soft click of a door handle and the air was being forced from her lungs as she was hauled into a nearby wall. It was only thanks to trust and experience that she didn’t audibly react. Mac was bracing his full body against hers in an effort to occupy as little space as possible in their hiding space. They were sandwiched between two locker banks. She went to huff in some oxygen and he put a gloved hand to her lips.

 _Don’t make a sound_ , he mouthed, an inch from her face. She widened her eyes in response and he lowered his hand, brushing her lips as he did. She couldn’t breathe now if she’d wanted to.

Clipped male voices echoed from the other end of the garage. Someone sounded _pissed_. Somehow they needed to get off this mountain. Mac seemed to be resisting the urge to chuckle as he listened to them chatter. His breath was tickling her face and Riley cocked her eyebrows in silent question. He just shook his head slightly from side to side.

The voices were edging closer; four of them from the sound of it.

 _Three, two,_ Mac mouthed.

‘One,’ Riley yelled as they threw themselves out of their nook and into the unsuspecting henchmen. Kruger looked utterly livid as Riley swung a fist upwards and it collided with his already bruised jaw.

‘Riles!’ Mac yelled. He tossed a ski through the air and she caught it, bringing it round and down to take Krugers legs out from under him. He went down hard. Before she could round on the other assailant, Riley was being tackled from behind. She stumbled forward, almost dropping her improvised weapon. She ducked as he came for her again and managed to land a kick to his instep. His face contorted in pain, and she almost felt bad for him as she took advantage of his distraction and punched him in the gut with the ski. He folded to the floor just in time to avoid a blow to the head from Mac’s ski pole.

‘I think he’s suffered enough,’ Riled shrugged and tossed her ski aside.

Mac smirked at her as they ran together for the open air, hopping over Mac’s assailants as they went. Riley had no idea exactly what he’d done to them but one was unconscious and the other was writhing on the floor in pain. It was clear these guys weren’t expecting much resistance from them. So far none of the goons had landed so much as a single punch. Dachmann should really hire some better muscle.

The sun had fully set and floodlights blazed overhead as they headed into the beer-soaked swarm and tried to get their bearings. Matty was shouting into their ears, demanding more information.

‘We’re in a bit of trouble Matty,’ Mac said. He grabbed a maroon hat off of a bench and thrust it at Riley. She swapped it for her black one without hesitation. ‘We’ve attracted a bit of attention.’

‘Guys,’ Bozer said. ‘There’s a cable car heading back down the mountain in thirty seconds. If you run like hell you should make it.’

Mac swore and they took off. Riley chanced a glance over her shoulder and spied two stone-faced and bulky men hot on their tails.

‘Mac!’ Riley yelled out at him and pointed at the ski racks ahead of them.

All it took was one well-placed kick for Mac to send row upon row of skis and boards tumbling down like dominoes. Mounds of steel and heavy equipment slid down the incline in their wake and the men chasing them scattered.

Riley could see the lift approaching the platform but there were masses of people queuing like sardines to get on. No amount of shoving was going to get them on this lift. Mac grabbed her hand and suddenly Riley’s feet were leaving the ground as he hauled her into his arms.

‘Bitte lassen Sie uns durch!’ He shouted, his tone pleading. ‘Meine Frau wurde schwer verletzt. Bitte! Sie hat große Schmerzen. Bitte lassen Sie uns nach unten reisen!’ Miraculously, the crowds began to part and they were being ushered onto the lift, surrounded by concerned strangers as Mac murmured German thank yous. ‘Act injured,’ he breathed into Riley’s ear. She could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Hers matched his beat for beat.

She played along, contorting her face into something resembling pain and moaning a bit. A large man vacated one of the seats in the centre of the car and Mac took it gratefully. He sat holding Riley on his knee as people packed in around them.

‘Do you see any of our new friends,’ Riley whispered into his neck.

‘No, thank fuck.’ He breathed back.

A young man standing above them began chattering away and gesturing down at Riley, who whimpered for effect. Mac nodded and conversed with him easily for a few minutes. The lift bobbed over a tower but Mac barely noticed.

‘What was that all about?’ Riley asked.

‘He was directing us to the nearest first aid station. Nice guy.’ Mac smiled down at her.

She raised her eyebrows at him. ‘That reminds me, are you going to tell me what those guys were saying back there?’

‘When?’

‘When you were trying not to laugh back in that garage.’

Mac smirked. ‘Just that big guy you took down was _really_ unhappy with you.’

‘You don’t say,’ Riley murmured. One of their fellow lift-rider’s skis bumped up against Riley’s leg and she hissed slightly and buried her head in his neck to maintain their charade. She felt the pressure of Mac’s hand on her knee. Even given the dire circumstances, she’d be lying if she said she was unaffected.

‘He was describing you to the other guys as some sort of siren or demon, luring men to their deaths. I think you managed to royally piss him off, you wicked maiden, you… it was quite poetic, actually…’ Mac chuckled. His fingers were absently rubbing circles onto her knee. Even through the thick layers of her snow pants, she could feel every stroke.

‘Guys,’ Bozer was suddenly in their ears. ’We’re having a bit of a visibility problem over here.’

‘Satellite issues?’ Riley guessed.

‘There’s really thick fog down in the valley. I can’t tell if Dachmann’s men are following you but I think it’s safe to assume they’ll be in the lift directly behind yours. I just don’t have exact numbers. There’s a minute waiting time between lifts so that only gives you sixty seconds to get clear before they’ll be on you.’ Bozer said.

'We have another problem.’ Matty added. ‘The exfil pilot can’t land.’

Riley pulled back and looked Mac in the eye.

‘Great,’ he murmured.

‘I’m working on it,’ Matty clipped.

‘I’m suddenly wishing we’d had those beers,’ Mac whispered in her ear. Riley chuckled.

They rode the rest of the descent in silence. Mac continued stroking her leg and Riley began to wonder if it wasn’t some sort of distraction for him as well. He was handling the ride much better than he had on the way up, though it probably helped that the crush of bodies meant that he couldn’t see out of the windows.

The second the doors opened the crowds around them started stomping out. Mac lifted her and shuffled along with the rest of them. It was taking forever.

‘Fuck,’ Mac breathed. Just visible over the throng, four of Dachmann’s goons were gathered at the bottom of the metal ramp. They were grabbing people at random and shining torches in their faces. There were two snowmobiles parked behind them at the bottom of the slope.

‘They beat us down,’ Mac looked at Riley and put her gently onto her feet, letting people file past them. ‘We’ll never outrun them on foot.’

‘You thinking what I’m thinking?’ Riley asked. Mac just smirked and ducked down to slip under the metal railing on the opposite side of the gangway. Riley followed, using the mass of bodies surrounding them as cover. Slowly, they crept their way towards the snowmobiles.

However inconvenient for exfil pilots, the thick fog turned out to be excellent camouflage. It wasn’t until the engine roared that Dachmann’s men even suspected anything.

Mac took off down the snowy path towards the hire station, Riley straddling the seat behind him. Snow spit from the tracks as they hurtled away from their pursuers. Riley looked behind her to see a harsh glow through the fog from a set of headlights. The second snowmobile roared to life. She heard an ear-splitting metallic grinding and the outcry of disgruntled voices as an engine stuttered. She cackled with laughter. Apparently their assailants hadn’t thought to check their treads for ski poles jammed into them before hitting the throttle.

‘Sounds like it worked!’ Riley yelled over the piercing wind. She felt Mac chuckle in her arms.

‘Guys!’ Matty was shouting into their comms. ‘Exfil can’t get to you.’

‘What’re our options?’ Mac yelled back.

‘I’m looking for somewhere for you to lay low. Standby!’ Bozer responded.

‘We need somewhere away from town!’ Mac yelled. ‘If they still think we’re tourists that’s where they’ll expect us to go.’

A loud rumble rattled in Riley’s ears and she squinted over her shoulder at another set of headlights. _Fuck._ A third snowmobile.

‘Mac!’ she yelled. ‘We’ve got company!’

He swore and tore past a family lumbering down the snowy path headed into the car park with their skis. They were running out of snow. Riley held on to Mac for dear life as he threw all his weight left, practically hanging off the side of the motor as he propelled them round a corner to avoid hitting a concrete pavement. They hurtled over some mounds, narrowly avoiding the steel strut for a street sign and down a snowy track towards some woods. Dachmann’s men were hot on their asses. The second they were under the canopy, the lack of streetlights made it almost impossible to see more than three feet through the fog. Their front beams did nothing but reflect luminous white light back into their eyes. At least the terrain was even and relatively straight. They seemed to be on some sort of cross-country course.

Mac must’ve been thinking the same thing as he turned off their blinding headlights. ‘Hold on to me Riles!’ he shouted. Freezing cold air was tearing through Riley’s clothes. ‘We’re gonna jump in three, two… ONE!’ Mac yanked the steering to the right as he forced his leg down and propelled them both off the bike in the opposite direction. They landed on a snow bank by the treeline and a split second later Dachmann’s men ploughed into the back of Mac and Riley’s stalled snowmobile, only a few feet away.

‘You okay, Riles?’ Mac was practically on top of her.

She didn’t have time to respond. Mac was hauled backwards by his hair. A man with thick fists and blood running down his face had an arm around his neck. Before Riley could make a move, Mac landed a swift elbow to the man’s gut and he loosened his grip enough for Mac to spin outwards and land a kick to the bastard’s knee.

As Mac traded blows, Riley righted herself enough to see a second man stumbling towards her. He was smaller than the other guy by at least a foot and was wearing a jacket twice as bulky as any of the others. He spit something in German (an insult, she assumed) before charging towards her.

‘You must be Baumgarten,’ Riley said, her hands on her hips.

Baumgarten ground to a halt about five feet from her, a look of confusion in his eyes as he cocked his head to the side at the mention of his name. That was all the time Mac needed to make a move. He grabbed the guy in a choke-hold from behind.

Once Baumgarten was unconscious, Riley sneered, ‘Y’know I suddenly feel a lot less sorry for the guy.’

Mac huffed. ‘You okay?’ he asked.

‘Fine,’ she reassured him. ‘You?’

‘I don’t think anything’s broken,’ he said as he rolled his shoulder.

‘You know you really shouldn’t ride a snowmobile without a helmet,’ Matty scolded in their ears.

Mac rolled his eyes. ‘Matty, we do a lot of things we shouldn’t do without helmets, but we appreciate the concern.’

She huffed. ‘Bozer’s found somewhere for you to lay low for a few hours.’

‘There’s a cabin through the woods about two klicks north west of your current location.’ Bozer chimed in. ‘Riley, I’m sending coordinates to your tablet.’

‘Thanks Boze,’ Riley murmured as she hauled her backpack over her shoulder and lit up her screen. ‘Got it,’ she pointed through the tree line. ‘That way.’

Mac was rummaging through the pockets of the guys on the ground and pulled out a flashlight with a triumphant look on his face. ‘Let go before these assholes wake up.’

They set off together through the dense trees. Mac kept the beam from the flashlight low to avoid attracting attention, casting harsh shadows on their surroundings. It was difficult to see where the hell they were stepping. Spindly branches scratched at Riley’s face and she tripped and stumbled over rocks and roots as they padded over slick pine needles. Mac grabbed her arm more than once to stop her from landing on her ass.

An animal rustled nearby as they stopped briefly to adjust their course. Though the trees sheltered them from the worst of the wind, it was _freezing._ Riley bobbed up and down as she checked their position. She was struggling to make out the terrain through the fog on the satellite picture.

Mac inched towards her right shoulder and reached a hand into her jacket pocket, effectively diverting all Riley’s attention from her tablet. She looked up into his eyes, twinkling with the light from the flashlight. He smirked as he pulled his hand free, revealing the hand warmer he’d given her on the plane. She smiled.

‘Y’know, I considered using this to disable our friends back there,’ he mumbled as he worked the pouch from the plastic packet. ‘Each one of these contains a load of iron powder, salt and a few other nasty things that aren’t great when they’re thrown in someone’s face.’ He shook out the pouch and placed it in Riley’s hand. ‘But I figured we might need it.’ She closed her fingers around the little sack of iron and Mac wrapped her hand in both of his. They stood there for a minute, Riley’s hand growing warm.

‘Better?’ he asked.

Riley nodded. ‘Much better.’ She cleared her throat. If she were being honest with herself, her hand wasn’t the only part of her that was growing hotter. ‘It’s not much further. The cabin should be just up through those trees.’

They broke through the treeline a few minutes later. Riley could just make out the shape of a small building through the fog, just across the field to their right.

‘I see it,’ Mac said. ‘Looks like it has a chimney at least.’

Riley was looking up. ‘Oh my god, Mac.’ She beamed at him. ‘It _snowing_.’

He laughed at her as she took a step out from beneath the trees, spread her arms wide and tipped her head back. There was real snow fluttering down onto her face and she chuckled with delight.

She took one more step and her laugh cut off as her feet gave way and she was plummeting downwards.


	3. Not A Field

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dachmann's henchman are the least of Mac and Riley's problems as they fight for survival.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, and I can't stress this enough: THANK YOU! I recognize many of you from your amazing works- I've been leaving kudos as a guest for ages and I'm so pleased that I finally decided to get involved. I can't describe how wonderful it feels to have stumbled onto such a joyous and supportive community! 
> 
> Now, this chapter is one giant overused trope and I'll never be sorry ;-)
> 
> Chapter 4 to follow tomorrow. Promise.

If she’d known for even an instant what was happening, Riley might have been able to brace herself, maybe held her nose or inhaled. Instead, she was already submerged by the time it occurred to her to be terrified. The shock that hit her as she plummeted through the ice was like nothing she’d ever felt before. The pain that lanced through her body was excruciating and all consuming as the crushing water forced the air from her lungs. She had just enough rational thought left to resist the urge to cry out but the panic threatened every moment to shove lungfulls of ice water down her throat. She forced her eyes to open in the stinging blackness but everything was dark. She didn’t know which way was up.

Suddenly there was a hand wrapped around her arm, dragging her. Her face broke the surface of the water and she spluttered and inhaled, unable to resist the urge any longer. Breathing was painful. She began to sink again. She couldn’t seem to move her legs. The hand gripped her harder and she felt the backpack being ripped from her shoulders before she broke the surface once more.

There was a voice shouting her name nearby.

‘Riley! It’s ok. It’s ok! I need you to take slow breaths!’ Mac was in the water with her, hauling her towards the edge of the ice. ‘Hold on Riles, hold on Riles…’ he was repeating it like a mantra as he splashed, sending shards of water shooting through the air. The hole she’d made when she fell through couldn’t have been big, but getting to the edge seemed to take forever. He lifted her hand to the ice and yelled ‘Hold on Riles. Just hold on I’m gonna get us out!’

She watched through blurry eyes as Mac launched himself horizontally at the precipice, trying desperately to extricate himself from the water. He kicked violently, managing somehow to get his upper body out. She could see him clawing and kicking his way forward, trying to gain traction. She closed her eyes. She had to concentrate on keeping her head above water. Every shallow breath was agony. Suddenly there was a vice grip on her arm.

‘K-kick Riles! I need you to kick!’ he yelled down at her.

She did as she was ordered. Kicking once, twice, unable to move both legs at once. She could barely feel them. Mac grabbed the back of her jacket, then the waistband of her pants and finally, her legs and dragged her up and out of the water and onto solid, freezing ground. They both panted and coughed and spluttered in a heap of heavy wet coats and limbs.

‘F-fuck Riles,’ Mac grabbed onto her and slipped trying to get to his feet, not wasting any time. He was starting to shake. His lips were blue. She could only imagine she looked the same way.

‘N-not a f-field,’ she chattered.

Mac huffed. ‘Guess n-not. We need to get to the cabin.’ She watched through bleary eyes as he gestured beyond the trees to their right. She nodded. Both of their comms had been submerged. No help was coming from Phoenix any time soon. Riley tried to get herself up. She cried out at the searing pain that lanced through her legs. Ironically, she felt almost like she was burning.

Mac grasped her middle and lifted. Once they were upright he was almost dragging her toward the trees. Every brush of a branch on her cheek was like a needle to her face as they shuffled their way through the pines, tripping over snow-covered rocks towards the shelter beyond. She clung to Mac as he practically hauled her up the short steps to the cabin. But he was suffering just as much as she was. They were clinging to each other for dear life.

The door was bolted shut. Mac dragged his knife from his pocket with shaking fingers. Swearing through ragged breaths, he jimmied and prodded the lock, trying desperately to control his trembling. Riley was at his elbow, willing him to succeed. She felt like her skeleton was rattling so violently inside of her that every bone would shatter like glass.

After a few more painful seconds, Mac drew her back into his arms. He held her tight and said, ‘F-fuck this,’ right before he landed a kick right at the lock. He cried out in pain. The door splintered as it swung inwards and bashed into something that had the misfortune to be placed behind it.

‘Doesn’t seem like anyone’s home,’ Mac rasped as he practically flung Riley over the threshold. He didn’t waste a moment. He slammed the broken door closed behind them as best he could, shoving something against it. A chair? Riley glanced up to see shutters covering the windows. At least they were protected from the freezing wind. She groped in her pocket with shaking fingers but she must’ve lost the heat pack in the water. She closed her eyes and dropped to her knees. She barely felt it as she landed on the hard wooden floor.

The cabin was dark and she was loosing focus. All Riley could hear was Mac banging around the room. Then she saw a small glow bleeding into her vision. _A_ _fire_ , she thought. Then Mac’s arms were around her again. He was trying to rub his hands up and down her, coax some warmth into her, but he was shaking uncontrollably. They helped each other crawl towards the light and Riley collapsed in front of the broad stone hearth. Mac reached an arm up and cushions and blankets padded onto the ground from the couch behind them.

‘W-we n-eed t-to insu-insulate,’ Mac’s voice was barely a whisper. ‘And we n-need to get out of these w-wet cl-clothes.’ His teeth chattered.

Riley nodded up at him, unable to speak. Mac reached over to grab her arm and rolled them both over onto the cushions. She felt her body soaking down into them as Mac dragged a blanket over her.

She moved an arm under the heavy wool and tried to grasp the zipper on her coat but she couldn’t get her fingers to grip. Mac watched her struggle and blinked, before reaching under the blanket for her hand. He managed to give her zipper a good tug and she felt her coat open. She whimpered. Taking clothes _off_ seemed like a bad idea, even if they were soaking her to the bone.

Mac writhed under the blanket next to her, cursing through chattering teeth, obviously trying to extricate himself from his own clothes. Riley blinked, trying to get herself to concentrate and then did her best to follow suit. Every tiny move was painful. With fingers she could barely feel, she managed to peel off her coat, her top and sports bra. Her soaking wet hair was like shards of glass on the back of her neck. Her boots she kicked off with a heavy _clomp_. She was having trouble with the button on her snow pants and began whimpering again in frustration. With a heaving sigh she rolled to face the fire, unable to go on, at least for the moment. She felt Mac shuffle towards her back.

‘R-riles,’ he stuttered. ‘Do you need help?’

She nodded. Mac’s hand grasped her arm and rolled her gently onto her back. He reached down underneath her blanket and with ice cold and shaking fingers, managed to undo the button at her waist. He shuffled down so he was at her feet and then gave the hems good tug. It took some time but in between convulsions he managed to relieve her of her dripping wet pants.

Riley managed a raspy chuckle as Mac flung himself back down at her side, wrapped head to toe in a mass of brown tartan wool. Under _literally_ any other circumstances, she might have felt differently about Mac removing her clothes. But at the moment she didn’t have the energy to feel anything but grateful that he was saving her life.

He reached over her and threw another log on the fire. The flames at Riley’s back were getting hotter and she let loose a raspy sigh. He pulled her towards him and they clung on to each other as they shivered and convulsed.

‘You’re okay Riles. We’re ok,’ Mac breathed as he held her close. He tugged the blanket up and over her wet hair.

She focused on her breathing. In and out. In and out. Slowly, achingly slowly, it became less painful to take in air. Her heart seemed to settle in her chest and the pounding subsided in her head. The convulsions wracking through both of their bodies grew less and less violent, finally letting Riley settle into something resembling comfort. She had no idea how long they lay there peacefully in each other’s arms.

‘Riley?’ Mac rasped at her ear. ‘I need to contact Matty. I’m just going for the SAT phone in my jacket. Will you be ok?’

Riley mumbled something in the affirmative. When the heat of Mac’s body was cleaved away, she brought her knees to her chest and folded in on herself. Vaguely, she heard Mac shuffling around behind her, droning something she couldn’t hear into the phone. She closed her eyes.

When he lay back down next to her, she extended her legs so that he could fit his wool-wrapped body back next to hers. He reached an arm over her, drawing her close and she buried her face in his chest, sighing contentedly.

‘They can get us out of here tomorrow morning, Riles,’ he whispered. ‘Try and get some sleep.’ She bobbed her head in response and let her eyes flutter closed. Before she knew it, time began to drift and she was floating away.


	4. Cold Shower Alternatives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After her brush with death, Riley wakes to face uncharted new territory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy valentines day! For the record, the timing of this is just a happy accident. 
> 
> I'd say SPOILERS but since it's pretty clear where this is going...:
> 
> !WARNING!  
> This chapter contains detailed and graphic descriptions of sex.  
> Adult content. SKIP OVER THIS ONE IF YOU DON'T DO SMUT.
> 
> Next chapter as soon as I can!

Her imagination still caught in that moment between dreaming and consciousness, Riley breathed a sigh of contentment at the weight of an arm draped over her middle, warm, heavy breath brushing the back of her neck, and a steady pulsing in that soft spot between her legs. She didn’t want to open her eyes. She wished she were still dreaming, having woken too soon to be satisfied. She snuggled in her blanket, rolling her hips and pinching her thighs together in frustration. The arm across her middle gripped her tighter. The breath on the back of her neck quickened. And with that she was suddenly, abruptly, _fully_ awake.

_Oh, God_. The fire. The wood panelled walls. The memories of the night before came flooding back; her uncontrolled shivering, her mostly naked body convulsing in pain, clinging to him with nothing but two bundled woollen blankets between them. She could see their clothes, still in a heaped, wet pile on the hearth. They must have fallen asleep in each other’s arms, and now she was curled up in front of the fire, it’s embers still smouldering, with Mac at her back. She didn’t dare move, though the urge to continue grinding her hips grew as she felt an unmistakable pressure groaning against her backside. She blinked and released a ragged breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. She glanced down at Mac’s hand splayed across her midriff, holding her tight with her arm draped over his. She almost whimpered with longing. _Get it together, Riley_! She heaved a breath in and out once, twice, trying to settle her frantic heartbeat. She shifted in Mac’s arms, relishing the friction, and risked a glance at his face. Just as she’d suspected, there was still a look of lazy sleep in his eyes as he blinked down at her, though his mouth was parted and his lips were moist.

He blinked again and whispered ‘Riles,’ just before his eyes blew wide in sudden realisation.

It was as if she’d thrown a bucket of ice water over him.

He jumped up so quickly that he stumbled on the cushions they’d thrown down to sleep on the night before and almost tripped headfirst into the wall. Just in time, he remembered the blanket and frantically grasped for it before it had a chance to slip all the way down.

Riley propped herself up and looked at him from her position in front of the fire. He was as far from her as he could get, desperately trying to hide his (not insubstantial) erection with nothing but an old woollen blanket bundled at his groin. She grinned.

‘You okay, Mac?’ she teased.

He tried to pull himself together and ran a hand through his hair, once again almost dropping the blanket and mumbling, ‘Shit! Yeah. Yeah. I’m okay Riles just… y’know, morning!’ He gestured vaguely toward the shuttered windows with one hand and continued trying to protect his modesty with the other. ‘Hey, look, it’s almost daylight and er… I’m gonna go try and take a shower,’ he declared as he shuffled backwards towards an adjoining door, never once looking directly at her.

‘I don’t think there’s any hot water, Mac,’ Riley called after him with a tilt of her head. She didn’t recall trying to _find_ a generator last night, let alone get one started.

‘That’s okay! I’ll figure something out!’ He said as he backed through the door and closed it firmly behind him.

Riley threw herself back down on the cushions and took a deep, steadying breath. Logically she knew this was probably just the average straight man’s natural reaction to being snuggled in front of a fire with a mostly naked woman. She should probably feel quite bad about teasing him just now. Mac was _Mac_ but he was also a man. It was morning. And given her state when she woke up, she suspected the she’d probably been writhing in her sleep and giving Mac’s body _a lot_ to react to.

But her _want_ wasn’t satisfied with that logic. She noted somewhere in the recesses of her mind that her underwear must have come off with her pants last night and she could feel the hot moisture between her legs. Closing her eyes, she could see his face as it was yesterday on the ski lift, eyes lingering on her mouth. She could sense the feeling of his body gripping hers last night, every lingering touch, every breathless moment they’d shared. She sighed. Yes, it could just be an involuntary physical reaction but she had to wonder… did he actually want her? Ultimately, she decided that she needed to know one way or the other. She’d suffered enough.

Resolved not to let this moment pass by without comment she hauled herself upright, ignoring the tingling in her joints, twisted the blanket securely into position around her chest and made her way towards the bathroom door. She dragged her fingers through her hair. It was still slightly damp and she probably looked a mess but she didn’t care. She was doing this. Propriety be damned.

‘Mac,’ she knocked on the dark panelled door. ‘Are you sure its advisable to take an ice cold shower less than…’ she glanced at her watch ‘… seven hours after almost dying from hypothermia?’ She could hear water running. ‘Mac?’ she knocked again, and the water stopped.

‘No. Probably not.’

‘Thought not,’ Riley smirked. If he were feeling anything like her he’d want to avoid cold water for the rest of his life. It was official: she fucking hated snow. ‘Mac,’ she said gently, ‘open the door.’ After some shuffling, he opened it a crack. A vivid blue eye shone at her. The blanket was bundled up around his shoulders and hung the length of his body. It took effort not to look him up and down.

‘Come back to the fire, Mac. It’s cold,’ she said kindly. When he didn’t move she added, ‘There’s no need to be embarrassed.’

He took a deep breath and looked down. When he looked back up he cheeks were flushed and there was a wicked grin on his face. ‘Except there kinda _is_ reason to be embarrassed, Riles.’

She smirked and looked him right in the eye when she said, ‘I’m just saying, there are ways of handling this situation that are much more fun than a freezing cold shower…’

It was almost comical really the way his face turned. His jaw dropped like she’d just said the most scandalous thing he could imagine. Riley’s heart thudded in her chest as she moved as close as she could get without touching him, her hip casually leaning against the doorframe. He didn’t step back. She took that as an encouraging sign. An electric current seemed to hum across her skin as she breathed ‘Oh Mac, if you only knew…’

‘What should I know?’ he whispered back, his hot breath tickling her face.

She just smiled and reached for his hand. He gave it to her without question and watched, mouth parted, as she played with his fingers.

‘I had a dream about you last night,’ she rasped. She looked up at him through her lashes as she brought his hand to her mouth and brushed her lips against his knuckles. He seemed to stop breathing.

‘Oh yeah? And what was I doing in this dream of yours?’ he ground out though his teeth.

Riley smirked up at him, heat rushing to her face as she tried to decide how best to answer that question. Something fluttered in her chest at the way he was looking at her. His eyes seemed to glow. She decided in that moment to risk it all.

Wordlessly, she laced her fingers through his and turned, leading him back toward the fire. She knelt down on the cushion-strewn floor and tugged gently to bring him down next to her. Still gripping the blanket at his chest, he settled on the cushions with his back against the couch as if in a daze.

She knelt over him as she breathed, ‘let’s just say that when I woke up just now to feel you hard against me, I was already wet and ready… because of you.’

Mac slammed his eyes closed and groaned. When he opened them again they were blazing, his pupils blown wide. Riley bit her lip, beyond pleased with his reaction to her filthy mouth. He searched her eyes as he brought both his hands up to her face, his vice grip on the blanket forgotten.

‘Riles, I had no idea you could be such a _fiend._ ’ He grinned at her, his gaze lowering and his thumb brushing over her parted lips. ‘Do you often wake up thinking of me?’

She smirked at his lopsided grin and decided there was no use lying, even if it did inflate his ego. ‘Mac, you have _no_ idea.’

His face lit up with a look of utter triumph. He leaned forward, one hand branding her waist and the other brushing her hair back as he whispered into her ear, ‘I wake up thinking about you too.’

She moaned. She couldn’t help herself.

‘Yes, Riles,’ he breathed. She could hear the smile in his voice.

She couldn’t bear it anymore. With both hands on his chest she forced him back against the couch. In the next instant she was straddling him and leaning in towards his parted mouth. He met her halfway in a blazing kiss that sent an electric current through her. She gripped fistfuls of his hair as he searched her mouth with his tongue. His hands wrapped around her, holding her, gripping her back, her waist, her ass, desperate to feel every part of her against him. She could feel a rumble deep in his chest and his erection pulsed beneath her. _God,_ she wanted him. She pulled back, her eyes blown wide and panting for breath. He opened his eyes slowly, as if revelling in the sensation for as long as possible. She marvelled at him. His chiselled jaw, dimpled chin, deep blue eyes and that wide, hungry mouth that she couldn’t _believe_ had just been on hers. She let her gaze wander to his bare chest, the blanket having fallen away, and brushed her nails down, down towards his abdomen as he watched. She shuffled on her knees, about to remove what was left of his bunched blanket from beneath her when his hands caught both of hers and lifted them back to his chest, a hard look on his face.

‘Riles,’ he said, his voice heavy. ‘This is a line we can’t uncross.’ His eyebrows lifted together in a silent question. She could feel his heart pounding beneath her fingers.

‘I think it’s a bit late for that,’ she said.

Keeping her eyes on his, she very deliberately moved her hands from his grip, grazing her own body over the blanket that was still wrapped around her like a towel. She watched his mouth part as his gaze followed her movements, completely hypnotized. She grasped the twisted knot at her breast with both hands and paused.

‘If you don’t want to do this, Mac, I need you to tell me,’ Riley breathed, almost scared hear the answer. He dragged his eyes from her hands, looked up into her face and blinked. Slowly, deliberately, he sat upright until his face was within an inch of hers, staring deep into her eyes he lifted his hands to her cheeks.

‘Riles, I’ve never wanted anything more than I want you right now.’ He brushed his thumbs across her cheekbones. ‘But I need you to be sure.’

Riley just smiled and let the blanket fall. It pooled over them around her waist. Mac looked down and found his mouth hovering practically level with her bare breasts.

‘Oh, _God_. Riles,’ he moaned as he wrapped his arms around her back, dipped his head, and planted an open mouth kiss to her sternum.

She gripped his shoulders and arched her back into the sensation. He hissed and moved to grip her ass as the motion ground her into him. Finding the remains of the blanket in the way, he tugged at it and threw it across the room with a growl of frustration. Riley laughed. Mac chuckled as she shifted her weight so that he could remove the remains of his own blanket, suddenly desperate to have nothing more between them.

With the heavy wool gone, Mac lay back against the sofa and raked his eyes over her naked body as his nimble hands found her breasts, her stomach, her hips, her thighs, taking his sweet time. Riley’s heart was pounding and she began panting with desire as she watched him explore her. Her skin felt branded every place he touched, a kind of heat that had nothing to do with the fire at her back.

His cock was hard beneath her, pressed up against his abdomen. Her yearning to reach down and touch him was at war with her overwhelming desire to feel him between her legs. Decision made, she held one of his hands to her breast as it roved over her and brought his other hand to her mouth. She slipped his index finger between her lips just as she began to rock gently, grinding her sex up and down his length so that he could feel how wet she was for him. The sound he made was hot, sweet, and _torturous._

‘Riles,’ he ground out. ‘ _God,_ Riles.’ He moaned with another rock of her hips.

She released his hands and tipped forward, lifting herself onto her knees just enough to let her fingers slip down between their bodies. She kissed him, slow and deep as her hand slid up and down his considerable length. She loved the feeling of his cock in her hands. Wanting desperately to watch his reactions, she pulled away from the kiss with a teasing bite of his lower lip. His head lifted to follow her and his eyes flew open. She smirked, her head dizzy with the power of pleasuring him. She twisted her hand up and over the head of his cock and he almost choked, his head slamming back against the sofa.

‘Fuuuuck Riles,’ he exhaled.

Without warning, Mac gripped her ass and lifted her. With a delighted squeal she suddenly found herself on her back staring up at his smirking face. She felt his weight against every inch of her body. Her wrists were in the grip of one large hand held firmly above her head. She could feel the tip of his cock settled between her legs.

He leaned down and growled, ‘If you continue to do that with your hands, Miss Davis, this is going to be over far too soon.’ He nipped at her neck with his teeth. She bit her lip and turned her head to whisper into his ear.

‘Well we wouldn’t want _that,_ Mr. Macgyver,’ she breathed.

She let her heavy breath brush seductively over his ear. She squirmed beneath him and moaned, a deep, guttural sound. His breath hitched and she smiled. He may have her pinned, but she had plenty of other tricks. She nibbled gently at his earlobe and then let her hot tongue slide inside. His cock twitched. She trailed her lips over the stubble of his jawline and down his neck to his pulse until he couldn’t stand it anymore. He devoured her in another scalding kiss, releasing her wrists so that he could cup her breasts. Her hands roamed freely over his body, his shoulders, his muscled back, finally grasping his delicious ass. He lifted his head as she squeezed and flashed his dimples before moving slowly down her body, nipping at her neck and dipping his mouth down over her right breast while lightly pinching the nipple on her left. Now it was her turn to gasp for breath.

When he reached her abdomen, he looked up at her and smirked. She had a finger between her teeth to keep from crying out. Without breaking eye contact, he rose up and lifted her leg until her knee was over his shoulder. He turned his head and planted hot, soft kisses on the inside of her thigh. His left hand rove up the length her other leg, moving torturously slowly towards her sex. He watched her as he brushed his fingers lightly down over her clit and between her labia. Riley slammed her eyes shut and cried out.

‘Oh god, Riles,’ he marvelled. ‘You are so _wet.’_

She gasped as he moved his fingers over her again and again and finally slid inside her. She lifted her hips to meet him and he slid deeper with every thrust of his fingers. Riley whimpered with her eyes slammed closed. When her eyelids fluttered open again he was still watching her, his eyes sparkling, his fingers still moving in her. Riley thought she might burst into flames as the base of his thumb rocked up against her clit. _Christ._ He really was a genius.

‘Mac!’ she cried out as the pressure of his fingers ground inside her over and over. She couldn’t think straight. All she could think was how much she needed him. If his fingers felt this good, what would _he_ feel like? She gasped. The thought alone was almost enough to send her plummeting over the edge.

‘Mac,’ she moaned. ‘I need your cock inside me, please, _please_ ,’ she begged him. Riley Davis had never begged for anything in her life. She certainly had never said the word ‘cock’ in Mac’s presence before. But in that moment, she didn’t care how desperate she sounded.

If he was surprised at her desperation, he didn’t show it. He didn’t hesitate. He just rested his body gently on top of hers, positioning himself so he hovered right at her entrance and whispered tenderly in her ear, ‘I’ll give you anything Riley, anything you want’. Then he pushed himself deep inside her.

Riley cried out and dug her nails into his shoulders as fireworks blazed behind her eyelids. Mac looked down at her, one elbow resting beside her head, taking his weight so the fingers of his other hand could graze her parted mouth. She gazed up into his eyes, marvelling at the feeling of him filling her. He dipped his head and kissed her as he began to move. Their breath danced in one another’s mouths as Mac slowly slid in and out, grinding his hips down and down towards the ground. Riley lifted both of her legs and held him in a vice grip that raised her hips and forced him deeper. He moaned against her mouth. Her hands were in his hair, pulling him down as if she could get him impossibly closer. He pulled back to look at her, still moving, still filling her over and over. She couldn’t take her eyes off his. She had him. All of him.

With every thrust of his hips, Mac began to moan with her. He dipped his head to whisper breathy, filthy things in her ear about how _fucking good_ she was making him feel. How _delicious_ she was. How he wanted to feel her _come._ How much he wanted to _spill_ into her. Riley was delirious with pleasure

She let down her right leg and hooked it around his left, pressing up into his chest with both hands and spinning them around. Mac cried out as she rolled him onto his back and ground on top of him without missing a beat. She threw her head back, arching her spine and palming her breasts. She ground down again and again, feeling the sweet pressure of his cock in _just_ the right spot. She felt herself constrict around him. He gripped her hips for dear life and moved with her, his back arching off the floor and his face contorted in ecstasy. She looked down at him beneath her. She could feel what she was doing to him, his cock pulsing inside her. She was going to make Mac come. She was flying high with the power of it and she felt the muscles deep inside her throb, inching closer to her release. She spread her legs wider, letting him impossibly deeper before leaning forward and lifting herself up and off him until she could feel the tip of his cock at her entrance. Just as she rested her forehead against his and felt her breasts splayed out against his chest, she thrust herself hard back down again, taking Mac’s full length inside her in a rush of pleasure. She called out and Mac’s eyes flew open, his teeth gritted together. She did it again, and again, eliciting the same sweet reaction every time. He gripped her hips as she began to really fuck him. Hard. His eyes were scalding, burning into hers only inches from her face. She was close. And so was he.

‘ _Yes,_ Riles,’ he panted. ‘ _Come_ for me. Let me feel it, Riles. Come for me...’ He reached down and brushed his fingers between them. Riley ground down hard onto his cock, feeling the pads of his fingers against her, and she was flying. She cried out his name as she came, continuing to fuck him as her body convulsed and her muscles constricted around him. Mac swore. Loudly. She felt the heat of it as he spilled deep inside of her.

His body was pinned beneath hers, still twitching, and his heavy breath was at her ear. Riley had her face buried in his neck. She could feel the muscles inside her still tightening. He brought his arms around and held her as she came down from the extraordinary high.

Eventually he rolled them over so he was back on top of her and lifted himself onto his elbows. He was still slightly erect inside her. She didn’t have the energy to move. She was quite comfortable. He smiled his lop-sided grin, and she grinned right back up at him.

‘Mac?’ she asked, still breathy.

‘Mmmm?’ he answered, closing his eyes contentedly and brushing his nose lazily against hers.

‘Is there _anything_ you’re not good at?’ she sniggered. He chuckled in response.

‘You’re flattering me,’ he huffed out. ‘That’s a pretty subjective thing to be good at, don’t you think?’

‘Well I can officially, _subjectively_ conclude that you are very, _very_ good at fucking _me_ then, Mac.’ He laughed and rolled over, pulling gently out of her. Whoever owned this godforsaken cabin, they were making a mess of their sofa cushions. She couldn’t bring herself to care.

He reached up over his head for one of the discarded blankets and drew it over them both. He rolled onto his side, propping himself up onto his elbow and reached over to brush his hand tenderly over the side of her face. She moved her head to the side to gaze at him. He was looking at her like he couldn’t believe she was real. She reached up to cup his face.

‘You look like you’re doing quantum physics equations in your head,’ she whispered. ‘What’re you thinking, Mac?’ He leaned into her touch and sighed.

‘Let’s just stay here,’ he whispered back. He was right. Here they’d found a little bubble. But Riley knew that any minute now Matty would be messaging them with new exfil coordinates. The second they stepped onto the tarmac, they’d have to face the real world. And they’d have to face what they’d just done.

Riley shuttered her eyes.

‘There’s one other thing I’m thinking though, Riley. Actually, I’ve not been able to _stop_ thinking it for a while now.’

‘Yeah,’ she breathed. ‘What’s that?’ He smiled and her breath caught.

‘I’m yours.’ He shrugged. ‘Here. At home. Wherever. I’m yours.’


	5. Flying High

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Home beckons for Riley and Mac after their time together in the cabin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all the love everybody! I'd just like to say that I deeply regret not including a conversation about BC in the last chapter. Just pretend I did!
> 
> This is a reasonably short chapter but more will follow very soon. 
> 
> [FYI: I assume ignoring safety belt protocol is just something that happens aboard private jets. Just go with it.]

Riley woke to a horrendous bleeping sound. The sun was streaming through the cracks in the shutters and the fire was almost out. Her head was resting on Mac’s bare chest, her leg draped over his. The bleeping blared again and Mac groaned beneath her. She glanced at her watch. They’d been out for almost two hours. That must be Matty.

‘No. No. They can fuck off. Nope, I’m not leaving,’ Mac groaned with his eyes pulled closed as he wrapped his arms more tightly around her. ‘I’m staying with you. Here. Naked. Forever.’ He shook his head dramatically from side to side. The beeping sounded again and Riley chuckled.

‘She’s just gonna keep calling until we pick up, Mac,’ she reasoned. Come to think of it, for all Matty knew, they were dead. Mac grumbled as she extricated herself from his arms and slipped out from under the blanket. He opened his eyes to watch her saunter towards the SAT phone in all her glory and she smirked down at him.

She hit the button just in time to catch the last bleep.

‘Riley, thank God.’ Matty exhaled on the other end. ‘You’re okay?’ she asked, her voice laced with concern.

Riley knew she should feel contrite but she couldn’t help smiling as she answered. ‘All good, Matty. We managed to get a fire lit and erm… get warm.’ She chanced a look at Mac, who was sitting up, resting his arms on his knees, a wicked smirk on his face. Riley’s cheeks heated and she bent over to pick up one of the cushions and threw it at him. He made no move to stop it. His smirk never faltered as it hit him square in the face.

Riley schooled her features into a slightly more professional mask. Matty was a bloodhound and would sniff them out if even a tiny _hint_ of a suggestive expression became evident in her voice.

‘Riley?!’ Matty shouted down the phone to get her attention. ‘You’re sure everything is okay?’

Riley cleared her throat. ‘Really, Matty we’re fine. I think we’ll both be steering clear of cold water for a while but…we’ll be okay,’ she said, trying to sound sombre.

‘O-kay.’ Matty didn’t sound convinced. ‘I’ve sent the new coordinates to this phone. Be there in twenty.’ And with that, she hung up. Riley lowered the phone and glowered at it.

Mac rose, lifting the blanket with him, and made his way towards her with what Riley could only describe as a swagger.

‘Y’know,’ he smirked. ‘When you’re embarrassed you get all flushed, just…’ he lifted a finger to her chest ‘…here.’ He wrapped the blanket around them both and ducked down to plant a kiss right between her breasts.

‘Is that _so_? _’_ she said between breathy laughs. She wrapped her arms around his waist.

‘All these years and still so many new things to learn about you, Riles.’ She could hear the smile in his voice. ‘I can’t wait to explore...’. He nuzzled into her neck.

‘Well, we’ve only got twenty minutes to exfil so I think any more _exploration_ is going to have to wait until we get home.’ Riley sighed in his arms. 

*****

In the end they almost missed their ride. Since neither of them had the foresight to hang their clothes properly, it had been an exercise in grit and patience to get the damp and heavy material back on again. Thankfully, their underwear had mostly been strewn near the top of the pile nearest the fire, so at least _that_ was mostly dry. Mac made the executive decision to take the old blankets with them, mumbling something about how the wool would insulate them from the cold air since their (ironically) waterproof coats were still soggy.

The water from the tap was _freezing_ as it hit the back of Riley’s throat but Mac insisted that they hydrate before taking off. They were careful to make sure the fire was completely out and threw the cushions back on the couch (upside down, of course) in an effort to put the cabin back the way they found it. There wasn’t much they could do about the busted door but Mac found a splintered log to jam it closed with. Deftly, they skirted the small but apparently very fucking deep body of water, blankets clutched round their shoulders and feet squelching in their shoes, and headed to the nearby clearing to meet their pilot.

They gazed down at the snowdrifts covering the lake as the chopper rose to take them to the airfield. From the air and in the crisp morning light, it was much easier to spot the rocky terrain that marked the boundary of the water. A shiver went down Riley’s spine and Mac gripped her hand and pulled her into his side. They really had both come alarmingly close to death last night.

‘Nothing like almost dying to set my priorities straight,’ Mac mumbled through the headset. Riley said nothing.

By the time they finally clambered onto the Phoenix jet, Riley thought she could use another nap. She felt slow and sluggish, her muscles aching, no doubt a lovely after-effect of plunging into freezing cold water. Mac looked like he must’ve felt about the same as he collapsed onto the long plush bench with a groan. As she brushed past him to get to one of the other seats, he reached out for her hand and looked up into her eyes with a smile. She smiled back as he guided her down to sit between his legs, her back against his front, and held her there. Within moments they were both sound asleep.

It was about ten hours into their twelve-hour flight when Riley stirred.

‘Hi,’ Mac whispered in her ear.

‘Mmmm…’ she smiled. Waking up in Mac’s arms would never get old. She stretched her sore spine and twisted slightly in his lap so she could get a good peek at him. ‘Hi,’ she said, quietly. ‘Almost home?’

‘Almost,’ he said. ‘Couple of hours.’

Riley sighed. They’d put this off as long as possible. They needed to talk. Mac let his hands fall away as she turned around and sat up to look at him properly.

‘Uh oh,’ he said. ‘You have that look on your face.’

‘What look?’

‘Your I’m-about-to-crack-this-top-secret-government-code look.’

She huffed a laugh. ‘I wouldn’t say I have a _look_ for that.’

‘Trust me,’ he said. ‘You do.’

She gazed into his big blue eyes and in that moment, she realised that whatever complicated conversation she thought they’d been about to have was totally irrelevant. It was simple. Mac said he was hers? Well, she was his, utterly and completely. They’d proven over and over again how life was too short for regrets. She couldn’t find it within herself to lament a single word, a single thing they’d done to and for each other within the last twenty-four hours. Not even for Desi’s sake.

As far as Riley could tell, they’d ended things on good terms. But still, she was pretty sure Desi wouldn’t react well to seeing Mac with someone new so soon, especially not one of her closest friends.

Riley sighed as she lifted her eyes to his and said simply, ‘Desi’?

He tossed his head back against the seat and raked his hands across his face.

‘I know,’ he mumbled. ‘It’s not fair on her. I need to talk to her before we go… public…’ he said, testing the word on his tongue.

‘Matty already knows,’ Riley pointed out.

He looked at her in alarm. ‘Wait, _what?!’_

‘Oh, c’mon Mac! It’s _Matty_. Of course she already knows. I could hear it in her voice over the phone. The woman is a super _duper_ spy. She’ll be able to smell sex on us the second we walk into the war room for our de-brief.’

‘Well, when you put it like that…’

‘She’s practically telepathic. And Bozer will sniff us out in no time…’

‘Yeah,’ Mac squinted at the sunlight streaming through the windows as the plane tilted. ‘He’s been keeping a particularly close eye on my love-life lately.’

‘Mmmm,’ Riley cocked her head to the side. ‘You don’t say.’ Mac grinned. Full dimples.

‘Well then we just have to keep our hands off each other,’ he teased, reaching out to tickle her side and making her bite her lip to suppress an undignified squeal. ‘We just need to get through the de-brief so I can have a word with Desi.’ He withdrew his hand and scowled at it.

Riley composed herself and nodded sombrely. ‘Do you want me to be there?’

‘No.’ He played with his hands. ‘No, Riles. This is something I have to do on my own. I owe her that.’

‘Mac…’ she muttered, before stopping herself. She bit her lip before she could ask the question she wasn’t sure she wanted the answer to. What was happening to her? She’s never been this bashful before in her _life_. She felt like someone had carved open her chest and let all her damned buried _feelings_ spill out at Mac’s feet. At this point she was just a puddle on the floor.

Sensing the hurricane inside of her, he took both of her hands in his and drew her closer. After all, he was a pretty damn good spy too, when he wasn’t distracted.

‘Riley,’ he looked almost ashamed. ‘You and me, whatever this is, is so much more to me than she and I ever were. You have to know that. I want you. I need you. You are so important to me Riles, you have no idea.’ He lifted a hand to cup her face and she leaned into his touch. ‘I was an _idiot_ not to see it before.’

If he only knew how long she'd yearned to hear him utter those words.

‘You are the smartest damn idiot I know,’ she whispered before mounting his waist and kissing him deeply and thoroughly until she genuinely forgot her own name.


	6. The Debriefing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back on LA soil, Riley and Mac approach the debrief with caution after recent relationship-altering events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I REALLY appreciate all the comments and kudos, guys. You're all so amazing and supportive <3  
> I swear an actual plot will emerge soon ;-) And I hope you guys don't mind being in for the long haul- I've just outlined past chapter 14 so...

An hour later and with swollen lips, they were on the tarmac at the private airstrip at LAX. Riley had noted the quizzical look on the steward’s face as they grabbed their blankets (it’s not like they had any luggage, what with Riley’s backpack having sunk to the bottom of that fucking lake) and exited the plane. She made a mental note to check that all Taylor’s flight staff had ironclad NDAs and maybe run a quick background check. She couldn’t find it within herself to care that he’d caught her making out with Mac just before landing. Mac went beet red, though. It was adorable.

Even for February the air was blessedly warm after the frigid alpine climate of southern Germany. Mac made sure the driver had the heat turned up the second they slid into the back seat of the sedan that was waiting to take them to the Phoenix. Riley sat on one side of the car and Mac on the other, a respectful distance between them. She closed her eyes and willed herself not to have another sinful thought about him until they were alone again. It was going to be hell for the next few hours.

Riley still had her blanket clutched over her shoulders as they marched up to the door of the war room and Mac gestured for her to go ahead of him. The second they were across the threshold, Bozer barrelled into them.

‘We were so worried!’ he exclaimed, an arm woven tightly around each of them. ‘You guys okay? I’m _so_ sorry I directed you into a lake. What the hell are these?’ he asked, gesturing at the stolen blankets. ‘A new fashion trend? I don’t think it’ll take off, guys.’

‘Nice to see you too, Boze,’ Mac smirked. ‘You can relax, we’re in one piece.’

Riley mumbled, ‘Yeah…We almost weren’t though,’ and Mac shot her a serious look.

‘Yes, yes. Now lets get down to business.’ Russ drawled from his reclined position on the chair. ‘Let’s figure out how not to let this happen again, alright.’

‘It’s not like it was a _tactical_ error, Taylor,’ Matty barked. ‘It was an accident. I’m sure, had they known to look out for a lake in the area, Mac and Riley would have easily avoided almost drowning in it.’

Riley straightened her spine and threw her shoulders back as a shiver lanced violently through her from head to toe. She risked a glance out the corner of her eye and swore she could see Mac visibly resist the urge to wrap her in his arms again.

Matty crossed her arms and glared at Russ. ‘They retrieved the data. They’re alive. The mission was a success as far as I’m concerned.’

‘Yes, well,’ Russ grumbled, looking thoroughly scolded. ‘Next time, up to date ground and terrain maps for every member of the field team.’ And with that declaration he strolled out the door, almost knocking Desi off her feet as she hustled in. She threw Russ a quick glare before turning her attention to the room, reproaching Mac and Riley the second she lay eyes on them.

‘Don’t ever do that again,’ Desi snarled, pulling Riley in for a hug. The poorly concealed shake in her voice betrayed her true feelings. Desi wasn’t exactly the type of person Riley would describe as a _hugger_. She must’ve genuinely been scared for them. For that brief moment in her friend’s embrace, Riley truly hated herself. A glimpse of Mac over Desi’s shoulder showed him staring at his shoes. Desi pulled back and held Riley at arms length, giving her the once over. ‘You _are_ okay, right?’ she asked.

‘Of course,’ Riley said a little too brightly. She always was shit at acting. Thankfully, Desi didn’t appear to notice.

‘This is what happens when I’m not there to look out for you guys,’ she said, wagging her finger in Mac’s direction.

Mac bobbed his head. ‘Yeah,’ he murmured, shifting uncomfortably. ‘Hey, how did that lead pan out?’

‘Dead end,’ she shrugged. ‘Don’t worry Mac, Codex are in pieces. We’ll get the stragglers.’

‘Okay, okay clear out you two,’ Matty shooed with her arms. ‘I’m sure these guys would like to get some rest but that’s not going to happen until I get a full, and detailed account of the op.’

‘Right you are, Matty!’ Bozer chimed. ‘See you guys at Mac’s for drinks later? I bet you could use a stiff one!’ Bozer ribbed Riley’s side and she could just _feel_ her cheeks turning beet red.

Mac cleared his throat. ‘I could definitely use a beer. You too Riles?’ He glanced at her and she nodded, not trusting herself to open her mouth. He turned the question on Matty and Desi and they both nodded in the affirmative. ‘Hell, I’ll even invite Taylor!’ Mac quipped.

Everyone chuckled.

Truth be told, RiIey would happily forgo the beer and just collapse naked, face-first onto Mac’s massive bed (preferably with him buck-naked at her side). But she knew a team gathering was the best way to get the awkward conversation with Desi out of the way so Riley smiled and waved and assured everyone she’d see them later.

The door swung closed behind Desi and Bozer and Riley let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. Mac’s shoulders seemed to relax slightly. Matty pointedly cleared her throat and they took their places on opposite sides of the room. Mac grabbed a handful of paperclips from the bowl so he’d have somewhere to direct his nervous energy. Riley didn’t have anywhere to direct her nervous energy so she just fiddled with her fingers (and tried very hard _not_ to think about how recently they’d been wrapped around Mac’s glorious cock) as Mac gave Matty his (almost) full version of events.

He really was beating himself up about the whole thing, she realised.

‘Mac,’ she said as he wrapped up his side of the story. ‘There really was _no_ way to know that lake was there.’ Riley stared him down. ‘Seriously. It was pitch black. One second it was solid ground, the next I was falling through. There was literally nothing you could have done,’ she stressed. He was becoming far too adept at shouldering the blame for everything that ever went wrong around here.

‘And _then_ ,’ she chuckled darkly, ‘you jumped in after me! I mean I don’t know what you were thinking but we could have _both_ gone into shock and drowned.’ She slammed her eyes shut and shook her head violently, trying to scatter the horrendous image of a pale, freezing, drowned and _dead_ Mac from her mind.

Her eyes lifted to see Mac kneeling in front of her, his paperclips discarded on the floor and both of her hands in his. Matty be damned.

‘I was thinking,’ his deep voice was thick with emotion, ‘that there was no _fucking_ way I was going to loose you, Riles. No. Fucking. Way.’ His eyes drilled holes into hers.

Riley slowly lifted a hand to his face and held him there, reading the truth in his pained expression. He sighed at her touch. _Oh, Mac._ She’d almost left him alone.

She flung herself down into his arms, almost knocking him flat on his back. ‘I’m so sorry _._ I’m _so_ sorry _,_ Mac,’ she mumbled into his neck. ‘If I hadn’t attacked Kruger we could’ve been in and out of-.’

‘Riles,’ he pulled back to look seriously at her face. ‘ _Please_ don’t be sorry. That guy more than deserved his ass kicking. You almost die, I almost die. That’s the deal.’

They gripped one another tightly, only letting go when Matty cleared her throat. She sighed when they turned to her, and they at least had the good sense to look contrite. Honestly, Riley had almost forgotten she was there.

‘Okay you two,’ Matty said tenderly, a smile playing on her lips. ‘Go home. Take a shower. I’ll see you at Mac’s in an hour.’ And with that they were dismissed. Riley figured it was a good thing Matty was as good at keeping secrets as she is at uncovering them.

*****

Riley and Mac ambled down to the parking lot side by side, all the while diligently ignoring every brush of their arms and hands as they went. Working in a building full of spies had its downsides, Riley mused, not for the first time. After so long keeping her feelings buried, she was exhaustively well practiced in compartmentalisation. But this new feeling was proving tougher to suppress.

Once they were in the parking lot she glanced around to make sure there were no Phoenix staff lurking. Satisfied they were alone she reached for Mac’s hand, dragging him behind a concrete pillar and out of the sightline of the security cameras. Riley turned on him and drew him close.

‘I never thanked you,’ she said in earnest.

Mac’s eyebrows rose. ‘For what?’

‘Saving my life.’ Riley shrugged. ‘Again.’

He harrumphed. ‘C’mon, Riles, we just covered this. Don’t pretend you haven’t done the same for me a million times. Anyway,’ he grinned wickedly. ‘You really _did_ thank me…’

She smacked his arm in mock horror before reaching up and planting a longing and chaste kiss on his lips: A promise for later. ‘I’ll see you at your place in an hour,’ she whispered. When she went to walk away, he pulled her back against the cold concrete.

‘How about half an hour?’ he asked, twitching his mouth upward.

She laughed. ‘It’ll take me that long to get home!’

‘Mmmm,’ he mumbled against her lips. ‘You never should’ve moved out.’

‘No kidding.’

She skirted backwards out of his arms and shimmied over to the GTO, hyper aware that Mac was watching her every move. She tossed her blanket in the back and smiled to herself as she slid into the drivers seat. There were so many new pleasures to be discovered now that she could flirt with him. Even with all the challenges and truths they had yet to face, Riley was delirious knowing that Mac was finally hers. Her engine roared and she drove away, her mind swimming with new possibilities.


	7. Subtleties and Nuance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riley discovers that it's tough keeping secrets from family. Especially when they're highly trained covert operatives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised! It a lot easier to find time to edit and upload on a weekend. I hope you guys like it- trying to balance out the dialogue was a real bitch! I'm really curious to know what you think about Desi in this one.

An hour and twenty minutes later (LA traffic), Riley was standing on the drive looking up at Mac’s place. She left her overnight bag in the GTO for obvious reasons but she couldn’t leave her rig. No one would think it was weird that she had it, anyway. The truth was, she wanted to double check that the massive data dump she did in Germany made it onto the Phoenix servers without a hitch. Matty had said so but she didn’t want to wait till she got back to the lab on Monday to check for herself. No one needed to know she didn’t plan on checking up on it _tonight_ , though.

The porch light was on and she could hear voices drifting down to meet her. She took a deep breath. For a covert operative, she really hated secrets, she realised. These people were her family and she didn’t like the idea of deceiving them.

‘Hello!’ she called out as she walked through the door and dumped her rig near the coat rack. Mac peeked his head out from behind the fridge, his face split wide with a shit-eating grin. ‘Got a beer for me?’ she asked.

‘I told you before Riles,’ he spoke in hushed tones as he prowled towards her, a beer in each hand. She reached out to take one but he wouldn’t release it. He bent down and whispered in her ear, ‘I’ll give you anything you want.’

Tired though she was, she felt his words right between her legs. She stopped breathing for a moment remembering the last time he’d said that and pinched her thighs together. He brushed his lips against her reddening cheek, the wicked man, and finally relinquished the beer. The sound of someone coming down from the deck startled them both and Mac jumped away just in time. _Okay_. She had to admit, this sneaking around was just a _little_ bit hot.

‘Rileys heeeere,’ Bozer sung as he bounded into the kitchen. ‘I’ll take that thank you!’ he said, plucking the beer from her hand.

‘Hey! That’s _mine,’_ she retorted, snatching it back. ‘Get your own damn beer _little bro_.’ She gestured toward the fridge. Mac chuckled as Bozer raised his hands in mock surrender and went hunting for beers.

Riley turned to Mac. ‘Have you… erm…’ She bobbed her head towards the deck in what she hoped was an effective way of saying _have you talked to her yet?_

He shook his head and whispered, ‘she just got here.’ Then he mouthed _I haven’t been able to get her alone._

Riley nodded and resolved to keep her distance from Mac with a sigh. She trailed him up the stairs and they each took their places on opposite sides of the pit. The flames were gloriously high.

‘Oh thank God _,’_ Riley groaned _._ ‘ _Fire_.’ Everyone laughed except Mac who was nodding gravely. ‘Seriously, even after a scalding hot shower I can’t seem to get warm. And the pins and needles in my legs _hurt_ , man.’ Riley rubbed her calves through her jeans.

‘What you need is a good deep tissue massage,’ said Russ. Bozer rolled his eyes. ‘Honestly, I know this great Swedish woman. She’s a god-send.’

‘Uh huh,’ Riley muttered. ‘And how much is that gonna cost me? Will I have to ask my boss for a raise?’ Everyone laughed.

‘The trick is to find someone to do it for free,’ Bozer jeered, waggling his eyebrows.

‘Ew, gross Boze!’ Riley shoved him with her elbow at the same time Mac muttered ‘cheap skate’ and everyone burst into fits of laughter. Matty shook her head and Desi just smiled and took another swig of her beer. It took everything Riley had not to glance in Mac’s direction. She rolled her neck instead, trying to release some of the tension that was coiling deep inside her as flashes of Mac’s nimble fingers on her writhing body invaded her brain.

‘You need some ibuprofen Riles?’ Mac asked, his voice low and serious. She made the mistake of looking him right in the eye. As a result, she stuttered when she answered.

‘N-no thanks, Mac. I took a Tylenol before I left the apartment.’

‘If you’re sure…’ Concern was evident in his face.

‘I’m good,’ she asserted, tearing her eyes away and looking down at the beer in her hands. She took another swig. She knew if she looked to her left she’d find Matty staring at her. Riley kept her head down.

Mac cleared his throat. ‘So. I was wondering if our next mission could be in Hawaii, Matty? The Caribbean maybe… somewhere tropical?’ Mac smiled in that easy way that made her heart stutter.

‘Yeah,’ Bozer nodded. ‘Only _hot_ missions please from now on.’

Riley couldn’t help it: A giggle escaped her. Bozer looked questioningly in her direction, having _no idea_ what he’d just said. It’s true, Riley didn’t generally _giggle_ \- especially not at something so childish _-_ but she was currently teetering on a live wire.

‘Sorry,’ Riley laughed, easily moving to cover her mistake. ‘I’m just imagining the whole team decked out in Taylor’s favourite swimwear.’ Everyone doubled over remembering the recent mission in Senegal where Russ had proudly sported his favourite pair of blue striped budgie smugglers.

‘Those are _designer_ trunks I’ll have you know and they’re worn by some of the worlds greatest athletes!’ Russ exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

‘Russ,’ Desi chided. ‘There were children swimming in that pool. _Children._ Next time wear something less form fitting. Just saying. No one wants to see that.’ She knocked back her beer as everyone chuckled.

‘Hey, didn’t Riley nab herself a handsome boyfriend last time we were in Hawaii?’ Bozer mused, helpful as ever. Riley rolled her eyes. He knew perfectly well she did and that it had lasted all of five minutes. ‘Yeah,’ Bozer said. ‘What was his name? Kylie? Keydee…something?’

‘Kalei,’ said Mac, loud and clear from across the pit. Riley blinked at him. _How the hell did he remember that?_ He looked back at her as if to say, _what?_

‘Yeah that was it!’ cried Bozer. ‘Hey maybe you could, like, look him up if we go back, Riley. I bet he’s a great masseuse.’ He waggled his eyebrows again.

Riley sorted. ‘I’m not looking for a boyfriend.’

Mac tilted his head at her. She had to admit she enjoyed making him squirm for a change.

‘And why ever not, may we ask?’ Russ challenged.

Riley shrugged. ‘Because even the smart ones are idiots.’ She smiled into her beer.

‘Yup,’ added Desi just as Matty murmured sagely, ‘you got that right.’

‘Here here!’ Mac called out as he lifted his beer in the air. ‘To idiots!’ Bozer clinked his bottle.

‘Speak for yourself,’ muttered Russ.

Mac almost spat his drink back out. ‘I was,’ he chuckled.

Before anyone could probe Mac further on his meaning, Desi announced that her beer was dry. She gestured at her empty bottle. ‘Anyone else?’

‘I’ll take one.’ Russ raised his hand.

Bozer wiggled his half-full bottle in her direction. ‘Me too!’

‘Here,’ Mac put down his beer and stood up. ‘I’ll help.’

‘I can handle three beers, Mac.’

He shrugged. ‘I know. I just wanna talk to you about something.’

‘Alrighty.’ Desi chimed and they both shuffled off toward the kitchen. Riley’s eyes followed them.

Just before disappearing from view, Mac’s gaze locked onto hers and a reassuring smile ghosted his lips. He ducked his head through the doorway and Riley tore her eyes away as her heartbeat thudded in her ears. Her leg bounced in time with her pulse and she stared at her beer for a moment, willing herself to get it together. When she looked up, all eyes were on her. She froze. _Shit._

‘Er… everything okay guys?’ She asked, eyebrows raised. Russ was squinting his eyes at her. She was clearly on dangerous ground.

‘Anything you’d like to tell us, Riley?’ Russ asked. Riley sighed. _Well, fuck_. She put down her beer, braced her hands on the deck behind her, tipped her head to the sky and released a long and steady breath. So they figured _something_ was up. But the intimate details of what she and Mac had shared over the last couple of days were hers; hers and Mac’s and no one else’s.

‘Nope,’ she resolved with a smile. ‘You couldn’t torture it out of me.’ With that she took another long pull of her beer, raised her eyebrows and stared down each of her companions in turn, daring them to ask. Wisely, they didn’t, though Bozer sure looked like he wanted to. Actually he seemed pretty confused. Matty looked almost proud. Russ just shrugged.

After that, they all sat in contented silence for a moment before Russ started droning on about some new application for a something-or-other that he’d read about in New Scientist. Once Riley finished her beer, she went back to jittering her leg. It felt like hours passed but eventually Mac trundled back up to the deck, two beers dangling from his fingers. Bozer was engaging Russ in a verbal sparring match about his choice of reading material. All Riley heard was a buzzing in her ears.

‘Russ. Boze.’ Mac handed over the bottles.

‘Cheers,’ said Russ.

‘Thanks, man,’ Bozer added.

‘Riles,’ Mac knelt down next to her. His face was maddeningly unreadable. ‘Desi asked if she could have a word.’

_Well, shit._ He held out his hand and she let him help her to her feet. He gave her hand a little squeeze before letting go and taking her place round the pit.

‘So, what did I miss?’ she heard Mac ask. Bozer mumbled something in return as she stepped out of earshot.

Riley didn’t dare look back as she descended the stairs to the kitchen. She knew if she did she’d chicken out.

Desi was pacing behind the counter, beer in the grip of her hand, when she entered the room. Riley suddenly wished she knew _exactly_ what Mac had said to her. Whatever had happened, Desi now looked like a caged lion. Riley felt woefully unprepared for this conversation.

‘Des?’ Riley’s voice was small to her own ears.

Desi looked up at her, eyes fierce. ‘Riley,’ she said. ‘How long?’

‘How long?’

‘I need to know, Riles. How long have you been in love with him?’

_Oh. Nicely deduced, Des._

Well, at this point there was no use lying. Riley trailed her way over to Desi slowly, and braced both her hands on the opposite side of the counter. She answered the question as honestly and earnestly as she could.

‘Years,’ she whispered.

Desi closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she looked wretched. She put down her beer and reached across the counter for Riley’s hands. She had a firm grip.

‘Why the hell didn’t you _tell_ _me_?’ she thundered, voice wavering.

Riley could feel her shoulders caving inwards. ‘Des…’

‘No, really Riley. I thought we were friends! Years? _Years_?! All the time Mac and I were together?’ she asked, her grip on Riley’s hands tightening.

‘Pretty much…’ she mumbled.

‘You’re an idiot Riley Davis.’

_Excuse me?_

Riley raised her head. ‘Desi. You guys were _happy_. I wasn’t gonna get in the middle of that! You’re my friend. And you loved him!’

‘Did I?’ Desi spat, throwing her hands back and raking them through her hair.

‘Of course you did.’ Riley said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Then she hesitated. ‘Didn’t you?’

Desi heaved a heavy breath and began pacing again. Riley watched her bounce back and forth like a tennis ball, patiently waiting for her to find the right words. When she did, a dam broke and the words barrelled into Riley like a tidal wave surging through her world.

‘The thing is, Mac and I just… we never really found ourselves in a good place. Our timing was always off. When we finally broke up last month, _again_ , it was almost like… I don’t know…’ she shook her head ‘…a _relief_. It was just so fucking _hard_. A relationship should never be that hard. I could see he wanted so badly for it to work but I knew deep down, even in the beginning, that that was more about _him_ than it was about his feelings for _me_ … y’know?’ She glanced up at Riley, who swallowed hard.

Desi ploughed on. ‘He just has to _fix_ things all the time and he’s so scared of being alone. It was like our relationship was one giant failed experiment! But he _cared_ so much and I could never abandon him. It just took me forever to figure out that we were both clinging to something with no real… _substance_.’ Desi quit her pacing and turned on her, eyes blazing. ‘But _you._ God, when I look back now it’s so obvious that I can’t believe I missed it.’ She rounded the counter and once again took Riley’s hands in a vice grip. ‘Your trust in him was always absolute. You see him and love him for who he is, not who you _want_ him to be. And he _needs_ you. He’s always needed you. You practically have telepathic conversations with each other!’ She laughed bitterly and Riley made a little sound like a hiccough. ‘Riley,’ she said, solemnly. ‘I don’t know if I was ever really in love with him or if I just wanted to be. But it doesn’t matter now. We were never meant to be. Not like that, anyway. Both of us deserve better than what we had. I can’t believe I’m saying this,’ she huffed, ‘but I’m so glad he’s found something better with you.’

It occurred to Riley in that moment just how much she’d underestimated Desi. Riley always had huge respect for her; the badass with the short fuse who’d fought like hell to make a difference in the world. But when it came to her relationship with Mac, Riley had spent so long turning the other cheek that she’d failed to notice that through it all, Desi had _grown_. It was because of Mac that she was such a vital member of this family. That she had opened herself up. That she had become the kind of friend who would set aside animosity. Who would champion her friend’s feelings over everything else. And she empathised with Mac more than Riley had ever given her credit for. In wishing for his happiness, Riley truly hoped that Desi would come to know her own.

She’s not sure exactly at what point they started crying, but tears flowed freely down both of their faces as they came together in a crushing embrace.

‘Just promise me we never have to compare sex notes, okay?’ Desi joked. They both laughed and sniffled as they clung to each other.

‘Deal.’

They pulled apart and smiled, both slightly embarrassed to be showing this level of emotion.

‘Everyone doing okay in here?’ Mac was standing in the doorway. Desi looked over at him as she hastily brushed the tears from her face.

‘Lurker,’ she said with a smirk. ‘How long have you been there?’

‘Only about three seconds,’ he shrugged. ‘I was worried.’

Desi chuckled as she reached for her beer and headed back towards the deck. As she passed him she grasped his arm and said, ‘Take care of her, idiot, or I’ll kick your ass.’ She turned back to wink at Riley who chuckled and watched her ascend the few steps outside, leaving Mac looking slightly bewildered.

‘I don’t know whether to be more or less scared,’ Mac commented as Riley headed towards him and he reached for her, brushing the rest of the tears from her face.

‘Maybe…less?’ She looked up into his eyes. ‘Hey, what exactly did you say to her?’

He shrugged. ‘I just told her that I figured out how much I love you.’ He pinched his eyebrows together as he gazed towards the deck. ‘She said she already knew.’

Riley pursed her lips. Did he even realise what he’d just said? Typical of Mac to just casually admit that he loved her like it was obvious.

Maybe it was.

‘And you?’ he asked.

‘Just… setting the record straight.’ Riley answered vaguely with a knowing smile. Mac cocked his head but didn’t push the question. ‘We better get back up there before they start to wonder where we are,’ she mused.

‘Let them wonder.’ Mac cupped her face and reached down with hungry lips. Riley gripped him by the front of his shirt and rose onto her toes as she opened her mouth for him and moaned softly.

When Mac pulled away his breathing was ragged. ‘Fuck,’ he said, and she grinned. ‘I’ve been wanting to do that since the second you walked through the door.’

‘Mmmm…’ Riley slurred, her desire only slightly sated. ‘I just wish Bozer would stop cracking jokes about hot missions and deep tissue massages. I can’t seem to get my head out of the gutter.’

Mac laughed. ‘I wonder why,’ he cocked his head to the side before whispering in her ear, ‘for the record, I am excellent at massages.’

Riley chuckled. ‘I figured as much,’ she whispered. ‘You have very… dexterous fingers.’ She was staring into his eyes and contemplating slamming him backwards into the bookcase and thoroughly having her way with him when Matty made herself known.

‘Eh-hem.’ She cleared her throat.

Riley leaped backwards. She felt like she’d been caught with her pants round her ankles. Mac jumped to attention beside her but he couldn’t quite wipe the smirk from his face. Matty rolled her eyes.

‘Well. This has been an interesting evening.’ She gave each of them a long look and narrowed her eyes. ‘No funny business at the Phoenix, you two.’ Matty grabbed her coat and headed for the door before tipping her head over her shoulder and adding, ‘and it’s about time,’ before pulling the front door closed behind her.

Mac looked over at Riley.

‘Was that… approval?’ he asked. Riley shrugged. Hell if she knew.

‘Guys! Bring the chips! What’s taking so long?!’ Bozer called out from the deck.

‘He’s so _demanding_ ,’ Mac mumbled to himself and headed for the kitchen.

‘So,’ Riley decided now was the time to ask. ‘Does this mean we’re officially… public?’

Mac sauntered back towards her, chips in hand. ‘Do you want to be public?’ he smirked. Riley decided to ignore the obvious double entendre.

‘Bozer,’ was all she said.

‘Yeah,’ Mac rasped. ‘Come on. Let’s help him get there.’ He held out his hand for her and Riley stared at it. ‘It’s not like we can hide it from him forever. He does live here.’ He wiggled his fingers.

Riley grimaced. ‘I’m just not looking forward to the earful when he realises he was the last one to figure it out.’ She laced her fingers through his and they made their way outside together.

When they got back outside Bozer was gesturing wildly at Russ. From what Riley could gather, he was recounting the story about the time Jack took Sparky on a road trip and almost got arrested by highway patrol.

Mac and Riley sat down next to each other and Desi smiled at them through the smoke. But it wasn’t until Mac raised their entwined hands and tenderly kissed the inside of Riley’s wrist that Bozer finally stopped talking and _stared_.

‘Well I’ll be damned,’ he said, genuinely lost for words.

‘Wilt, I think you and I need to have a serious chat about the subtleties and nuances of spycraft,’ smirked Russ.

Then Bozer cried out ‘IT FINALLY HAPPENED!’ and launched into a blistering round of quick-fire and deeply personal questions that neither Mac nor Riley had any intention of answering. Russ shook his head. Eventually Riley raised a firm hand to get him to shut the hell up.

‘Okay, okay Boze. Let’s just say,’ she looked at Mac, a twinkle in her eye, ‘that we found ourselves in unavoidable circumstances where we inadvertently made our… feelings… known.’ Mac snorted, then took a swig of beer to hide his smirk. That was definitely a convoluted euphemism for _erection_ that he’d never heard before.

Bozer was hopping up and down like a rubber ball on a string. ‘Ha! She doth protest too much! Little miss _I’m not looking for a boyfriend_. And _you,’_ he pointed an accusatory finger at his best friend. ‘ _You_ were _cleaning_ earlier with a smile on your face! Damn. And to think I’d completely given up on you! I thought I’d have to get involved. Like, lock you in a room or something. Wait… am I gonna have to get some noise cancelling headphones?’

Desi wrinkled her nose and said, ‘Ew’ at the same time that Russ stood up and declared, ‘Well that’s my cue!’

‘Yeah,’ Desi said. ‘I’m beet.’ Riley and Mac stood and gave Russ and Desi a quick hug before they left. Desi’s truck and Russ’ Aston growled from the driveway and faded into the distance, leaving only the sounds of the flickering fire.

‘Well…’ Bozer said, shifting awkwardly. ‘This is new. I’m like the third wheel all of a sudden.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous Boze,’ Mac leaned back and shook his head.

‘Yeah Bozer, don’t worry,’ Riley added. ‘When you’re around we’ll try and keep the PDA to a minimum.’ Then she leaned towards Mac with a wicked grin, grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him into a deep and passionate kiss. Her hands were wrapped in his hair and Mac gasped into her mouth as she gave it a little tug.

‘Eww. Okay I don’t wanna see that. Guys? Hey!’ Riley didn’t quit. Neither did Mac. ‘Yeah, yeah, I get the message.’ Bozer mumbled. ‘I’ll just go and drink the rest of this beer in my room then shall I? Sheesh.’ He mumbled all the way down the hall.

As soon a she heard Bozer’s door slam, Riley pulled away with a chuckle. Mac was breathless and slightly dazed.

He huffed a laugh. ‘Well, that’s one way to get rid of him.’

‘Alone at last,’ she whispered and his eyes grew dark. Then she moved to straddle him.

He moaned into her mouth and squeezed her waist as she wrapped her legs around him. In one smooth motion he grasped her ass and stood up, holding her firmly against his body, all the while languidly and thoroughly exploring her with his tongue. He headed on sure feet across the deck to his bedroom, easily navigating the steps before almost slamming her against the shutter doors as he tripped over a broken piece of engine that he’d left on the floor. Riley chuckled into his mouth.

‘You’re a dangerous man to know, Mac. Any more hazards I should know about?’ Mac smirked. He finally found the handle and made the point of throwing the door open without breaking eye contact. He really was excellent at multi-tasking. She reached for his mouth again and he obliged, carrying her inside. Then he spun, heading for his desk rather than the bed. He shifted her weight to one arm and flung his other out beneath her, scattering tools, screws, paperclips, random bits of metal and God knows what else all over the floor. Riley made a guttural sound into his mouth as he eased her down onto the smooth wooden surface and reached to turn on the lamp to his left, almost knocking it to the floor with the rest of the junk.

He slowly eased his lips from hers. Breathlessly he said, ‘I’d be happy to point out the hazards if you like, Riles. But you’re so good at improvising, there doesn’t seem to be much point.’

Riley threw her head back cackled with joyous abandon. Mac grinned down at her. ‘I learn from the best,’ she rasped through juddering breaths before reaching up and claiming his mouth once more.


	8. I Can Fix That

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riley finds herself in a happy moment with Mac.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely readers! So, this chapter wasn't STRICTLY necessary. However, in pursuit of my humble service to our beloved characters I decided to let them have a bit of fun and TO HELL WITH IT! ;-)
> 
> !WARNING!  
> This chapter includes adult language detailed descriptions of sex.  
> *THIS IS FOR ADULTS ONLY* Thank you.

The light from the desk lamp made Mac’s eyes shine. He dragged his hands over Riley’s shoulders, stripping her jacket off and flinging it onto the chair in the corner of the room. His eyes were hungry as he considered which item of her clothing to remove next. Riley braced her arms behind her as he lifted her leg and stepped backwards to unlace her boots. They thudded to the floor one after another. She straightened her spine and stretched her arms above her head, inviting him to peel off her t-shirt next. He smiled and reached for the hem. With a light tug, it fluttered to the floor. He glanced down at her, taking in the full swell of her breasts in her favourite lacy black bra. Her nipples were biting into the sheer fabric. Wordlessly, he lightly trailed a hand along her collarbone, down across her sternum and between her breasts. Riley’s skin tingled and burned under his fingertips. With a quick swipe of the hand, he undid the buttons of her jeans. He had to lift her a few inches off the table to shimmy them down but her lace-covered ass was soon back on the smooth surface of the desk. Mac dropped to his knees in front of her. He tugged hard on the fabric round her ankles and Riley squealed and laughed as she was almost pulled from the table with the force of it. Jeans were only marginally easier for him to remove than soaking wet snow pants, she noted. Finally, the jeans and socks joined the rest of her clothes on the floor. He was unwrapping her like a present.

Mac’s smile grew feral as he rose slowly to his feet and gazed down at her laid out on the desk before him. He looked at her like he was looking at an engine: Like he was desperate to take her apart piece by piece to discover exactly what made her tick. Riley knew he was more than capable of dismantling and re-making her.

‘I can’t believe I’ve got you here like this,’ he breathed. Riley smiled, she couldn’t believe it either.

He was still fully clothed, which seemed utterly unfair. She hooked him with her legs and tugged him closer, still bracing herself with her arms behind her. Both of his hands skirted up and down her bare thighs. She reached forward and began to undo the buttons of his shirt. She kept her eyes on him and he stared down at her as she worked, both of them breathing hard. He shucked the shirt off his shoulders as she went for his belt. Moments later, his jeans were round his ankles and he was bending down and almost tumbling over as he worked to remove them along with his boots. Riley watched from above him, loving every clumsy moment.

‘Just what are you grinning at, Miss Davis?’ Mac said as he rose and settled back between her legs.

‘I like your boxer-briefs.’ Riley smirked as he glanced down with a grimace.

While she had clearly put a lot of time and effort into the underwear she’d chosen for this evening, Mac had clearly not. Poor Rick and Morty were straining against the swell of his erection.

He blushed scarlet. ‘I sort of didn’t have anything clean or dry to wear,’ he confessed. She howled with laughter, the desk shuddering beneath her. ‘Good job I don’t plan on wearing them much longer,’ he smirked as he bent down and removed them in a single, swift motion. He stood naked and aroused before her and she stopped laughing, suddenly breathless with anticipation. He was an absolute fucking _vision_.

She dragged a fingernail over his bare chest. ‘So, what are you going to do to keep me quiet about this, Mac?’ Riley teased, her voice breathy. ‘I’m not above letting the whole tech team know about your underwear preferences…’

‘Oh, I see,’ he grinned. ‘Blackmail is it?’

‘Absolutely.’

‘Well, you devious minx, what is it exactly that you want from me?’ He leaned down, placing his hands flat on the table. His nose was practically touching hers. She made a show of pretending to consider her options, all the while indulgently raking her fingers over his skin.

‘Oh, I feel drunk with power,’ she mused. ‘I could make you do absolutely _anything_.’ She huffed out a breathy laugh.

Mac rose a single eyebrow and said, his voice low and gravely, ‘this coming from the woman who could erase my entire existence in three short keystrokes?’ Riley’s grin turned savage. ‘Blackmail or not, Riles, I’m at your mercy,’ he whispered. ‘God help me.’

He kissed her thoroughly. When he pulled away, leaving her panting, he looked down at her, scrutinising every inch of exposed skin. She was tingling all over as he dragged a feather touch from the tips of her painted toes, up the length of her body and over the lace of her bra. She tilted her head to the side as he brushed her pulse point and finally settled on her cheek, the pad of his thumb stroking her full and parted lips.

‘Fuck, Riles.’ He looked her right in the eye. ‘You are _so_ beautiful.’

She just blinked up at him. Riley was a confident person but in her wildest fantasies, it had never occurred to her to imagine that Mac would ever tell her she was beautiful. And she’d fantasised about Mac _a lot_.

In that moment, it hit her. Where they were, what they were doing. Mac was _hers_. She was laid bare in front of the man she loved, had _pined_ for, for years. And by some miracle, he loved her.

She reached up and grabbed him by the back of the neck. Riley was possessed with an all-consuming passion that almost scared her. She needed him. Like she needed oxygen that night in the lake. Her lips burned on his and the next moment, he had his fingers hooked through her panties and was sliding them down her thighs, never leaving the force of her lips for more than a breath. Her bra was suddenly gone and Mac hoisted a knee onto the desk, all the better for the leverage he’d need.

Riley didn’t pause her assault on his mouth for a moment as she reached between them and guided him into her. They both cried out at the sensation. Mac’s eyes flew wide as he moved and shuddered, filling her over and over again. Riley arched her back and dug her nails into his shoulders. Mac gripped the edge of the desk behind her head. The lamp beside them rattled and toppled over, lengthening every shadow and casting stark light on Mac’s beautiful face as he lifted his eyes to watch her writhing beneath him.

Whatever he saw made him moan and he ducked his head down to whisper expletives in her ear. She could only cry out. She tossed her head back and he took advantage of her exposed neck, nipping and sucking and moaning breath onto her sensitive skin. He started to move faster, push into her harder and she flung her arms out to hold on for dear life. She was pinned beneath him, spread out like a starfish with her knees lifted and legs spread wide.

Then suddenly the satisfying weight on top of her was gone and Riley was being pulled towards the front edge of the desk. She had just enough air in her lungs to huff out a cry of surprise before he was inside her again and her cry turned into a guttural moan. She forced her eyes open and looked up. Mac was standing upright against the desk, holding her legs straight up against his chest, her toes pointed above each shoulder. He was looking down at her, watching her, as he rolled his hips to drive into her. With every plunge, Riley raised her hips to meet him. She lost all sense of time as she became entranced in lust and sensation. Mac’s eyes were shining in the lamplight. The muscles inside of her constricted and he hissed and slammed his lids shut for only a moment before opening them again, blazing at her.

Never stopping his punishing rhythm and keeping his eyes locked on hers, he turned his head and kissed her calf, then gently ran his hand round and down her leg. He watched for her reaction as he found her clit and she cried out again, arching her back and grasping the edge of the table for support. Circling his thumb in tandem with his thrusts, Riley felt herself building up so fast she saw stars. The table beneath her was banging against the floor and the upturned lamp finally succumbed to gravity, hitting the ground with a _thunk_.

Riley was mesmerised by the look on Mac’s face as he watched her, open mouthed and panting. Her gaze roved down his magnificent torso to see his thumb on her clit, his cock sliding in and out of her.

‘Are you watching me fuck you, Riles?’ Mac breathed through gritted teeth. _Oh, holy_ _fuck_. Riley came apart at his words.

‘Yes. _Yes_ , Riles,’ Mac cried from above her and with two more deep thrusts he found his release. He cried out her name like a prayer. Riley was still convulsing around him and her body shuddered uncontrollably on the table as her orgasm lingered. With a final jolt of his body, Mac collapsed on top of her, gasping.

They lay there a moment, both trying to catch their breaths. Riley was utterly dazed by the passion that had gripped her with such unexpected ferocity. With shuddering fingers, she lifted her hand to the nape of Mac’s neck and stroked through his hair. It anchored her in the moment. He gave a satisfied hum and breathed into her ear.

‘Mac,’ her voice trembled. ‘I think we broke the lamp.’

‘I can fix that,’ he mumbled and she huffed out a shaky laugh.

Slowly, he lifted his head to look at her and grinned lazily. ‘Bed,’ he said simply as he pulled out of her. Riley just lay there. Her whole body felt like jelly.

‘I don’t think I can move,’ she laughed. Mac looked very pleased with himself as he lifted and carried her over to the bed. He reached for a box of tissues on his nightstand and she took them gratefully.

‘Y’know, Riles,’ he said, once they were cleaned up and lay staring at each other under Mac’s massive comforter. ‘I had planned on taking my time with you tonight… To thoroughly investigate your every weakness.’ He leaned forward and kissed her shoulder. ‘But you took me by surprise back there. That’s twice now.’

‘What can I say,’ she smiled at him almost timidly. ‘I was overcome. Besides, We have all the time in the world to _investigate_. Not to mention, you’re already exceptionally adept at reading my body. It’s really very impressive.’ She grinned at him.

‘My methods can always be improved,’ he smirked, pulling her into his chest.

‘You are such an overachiever,’ she crooned, playfully shoving him. He caught her wrist in his fingers and planted a soft kiss on her palm. Riley sighed contentedly and watched as his eyes fluttered closed. She tilted her head upwards and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. Her hands on his chest, she felt his heartbeat settle and his breath turn slow and even. Time stretched out as she lay in his sleeping arms.

‘I love you, Mac’ she breathed, barely a whisper. ‘I think I’ve always loved you.’


	9. Bump In The Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basking in the serenity of her evening with Mac, Riley wakes in the middle of the night to face unexpected events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All! THANK YOU for sticking with this! I'm thrilled people are still reading. 
> 
> So I'm really REALLY excited for you to read these next two chapters. It's time for our lovely duo to face some new challenges together. Let's see how they handle it... 
> 
> Sorry this is a fairly short one but I promise I won't leave you hanging for long- I plan to post chapter 10 on Saturday.

Minutes or maybe hours later, Riley stirred. She smiled to herself as she came round and remembered where she was. Mac was still wrapped around her, sound asleep. She groaned, knowing that she had to get up to use the bathroom and get some of the makeup off her face. Already, her eyes were beginning to itch.

As quietly and carefully as she could, she detached her body from his, draped her legs over the edge of the bed and stretched upwards. Truth be told she was sore everywhere. She’d experienced more sexual activity in the last twenty-four hours than she had in, well… a while. Not to mention she still hadn’t completely recovered from the physical trauma of their impromptu swimming excursion. She made a mental note to take some more Tylenol.

_Damn_. Her overnight bag was still in the back of the GTO.

She stood quietly and tip toed towards the bathroom, resolved to make the most of whatever she found there, when she tripped over something cold and hard.

‘Ow! Shit!’ She hopped and hissed, forgetting to stay quiet.

Mac sat up with a start.

‘Oh god, sorry Mac! I didn’t mean to wake you.’ She was bouncing up and down, rubbing at her foot. ‘ _Fuck_ that hurt,’ she cursed repeatedly under her breath.

Mac ran a hand through his hair and it stood on end, the very definition of bed head.

‘I guess we’ve got a bit of an obstacle course going on in here…’ he smirked. ‘You okay?’ He rose to get a good look at her and clicked a lamp on. She’d tripped over a... _what the hell was that_?

‘Yeah. Yeah, I just stubbed my toe. It’s nothing.’ She spied her underwear amongst the debris on the floor and retrieved them before continuing on to the bathroom with a slight hobble.

‘I’m gonna go get us some water,’ he called quietly after her. ‘You need anything else?’

Riley squinted into the blinding bathroom light. ‘Do you have any Tylenol?’ she called back.

‘Top right cabinet.’

She heard him shuffle around a bit and the door close softly as he padded out of the room.

Riley had a little snoop around. She’d never actually been in his en-suite before, she realised. It was huge. He had a walk-in shower that was twice the size of the one in the bathroom across the hall. She looked forward to getting into _that_ tomorrow. For now, she grabbed the bar of soap on the sink and scrubbed at her face with a scalding hot washcloth. It was heaven. There was a straight razor kit on the shelf next to Mac’s toothbrush and Riley smiled as her private picture of him adjusted in her head. This wasn’t the type of blade Riley usually imagined in his precise and careful hands. Of course, his Swiss army knife could probably do the job in a pinch. He certainly kept it sharp enough.

She found the painkillers right where he said they would be, tucked next to a burn kit, a chemical eye bath and a gigantic box of bandages. Figures he’d have such a well-stocked first aid cabinet. There were even sutures in there.

Riley was contemplating the implications of using Mac’s toothbrush when she heard a crash. She stumbled out of the bathroom and heard Mac yell something incoherent from the kitchen. There was another shuddering thud and the sound of a glass smashing. What the _hell_?

_Oh, God_. Her rig was still in the hallway. Password protected and encrypted, but still…

She grabbed one of Mac’s flannels from the floor and threw it around her mostly naked body, nimbly hop-scotching over the mess as she hurled herself out of the bedroom toward the commotion.

It was dark, the streetlight outside barely penetrating the windows enough to see by. All she could make out was the outline of Mac, his bare back to her with his jeans slung low over his hips, struggling with someone; a man, most likely, from the size of him. There was water and glass all over the floor.

‘HEY!’ she yelled out, trying to get the intruder’s attention, though she had no idea what she’d do next.

The pair stopped struggling. Mac had him pinned against the counter.

Riley began frantically searching around in the dark for something she could use as a weapon. A broom. A shoe. Anything.

‘Ri?’ drawled a deep voice. She froze. _That voice. It can’t be…_

‘What in the HELL is going on?!” Bozer yelled as he came tearing into the hall, massive headphones dangling round his neck, and flipped the light on.

_Oh. My. God._

‘ _Jack_ ,’ Riley breathed. But it couldn’t be him. It _couldn’t_ be. Because Jack was dead and if he was here that meant…

Riley looked at Mac. She watched the wheels turn behind his eyes as he took in the leather jacket, the t-shirt, the boots, and the identity of the intruder finally registered. Mac looked suddenly and completely _furious_. He looked how she felt.

‘What the…’ Bozer mumbled next to her.

Jack- it _was_ Jack- was looking at her. _Staring._ Then he turned on Mac, who still had him pinned by the scruff of his shirt.

With something like cold fury Jack yelled, ‘WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING WITH MY LITTLE GIRL?!’ as he hauled all his weight forward and propelled Mac into the wall, throwing an arm across his chest and immobilizing him completely. Mac couldn’t have said anything if he wanted to. And he _really_ looked like he wanted to.

‘Oh, _shit_.’ Bozer went to move towards them and Riley threw her arm out to stop him. She’d handle this.

She picked up the nearest thing to her, and launched it at Jack’s head.

That got his attention.

‘Ow! Riley!’

Then she threw something else. ‘YOU. FAKED. YOUR. DEATH. YOU. _BASTARD!’_ Each word was dripping with venom and punctuated with another launch from her arm.

Mac coughed and spluttered as Jack released him in favour of protecting his head. Riley rushed to Mac and he reached for her. She was shaking like a leaf, though whether from shock or fury, she couldn’t tell.

Mac ripped his eyes away from Jack’s increasingly purple complexion and turned his full attention on her. He cupped her face for a moment before making sure she was wrapped up tightly in his shirt. Hastily, she finished buttoning it. Then he gave her hand a squeeze before turning back to Jack, who was rubbing his head and glaring at them both through narrow eyes. He still had that _stupid_ leather cuff on his wrist.

Mac took one step forward. Two. Then he punched Jack square in the face.

The room itself seemed to inhale. Jack tipped his head back and pinched his nose.

‘Not a ghost, then,’ Bozer mumbled.

Mac shook out his hand.

‘Guess I deserve that,’ Jack rasped, rubbing his face.

‘Ya THINK?!’ Riley yelled.

‘I’m sorry! I just reacted! I mean you’re both practically _naked_ sweetheart, it just threw me for a minute. I can’t believe you touched my baby girl Mac, I swear-’

‘ _That’s_ all you’ve got to say. _Really_ Jack?’ Riley was disbelieving.

Jack looked puzzled. ‘I mean, didn’t you get my message?’

‘What. Message.’ Mac ground out through his teeth.

‘Babic told you, right? About our last manniversary?’ Jack swivelled his eyes at the three of them, eyebrows raised. They stared back at him like he was insane. ‘Y’know man, the one where we had to fake my death to get out of that messy situation…’ He blinked and gestured at Mac, who was slowly shaking his head from side to side. ‘You’re a smart guy. It was pretty self explanatory, right?’

Mac’s fists curled at his sides. ‘You thought _that_ was enough of a message Jack?’ he fumed. ‘Like we’d all just go _yeah, Jack can’t be dead he’s indestructible_ , right? We had a military funeral for you, Jack! Highest honours. The coffin, the flag, the speeches. The works. Your sister was in pieces. We all were! And you just left us _,_ let us think you were dead _,_ because, what? You were in a _messy situation_?!’

Jack looked geared up to argue but Mac spun on his heel and stalked into the living room, his voice like steel as he delivered his final blow. ‘You thought we’d all just welcome you back with a smile, Jack?’ He stormed back carrying something in his arms, ‘Here,’ he spat, shoving it at him. ‘Welcome home, asshole.’

Jack looked down at the stuff in his hands: A folded flag and Jack’s dad’s tags. He stared for a moment. When he looked back up his eyes were miserable and his mouth was decisively shut.

Silent tears were streaming down Riley’s face. Mac was back at her side, his hand reassuringly wrapped around hers.

‘Okay,’ Bozer gulped down a breath. ‘Okay.’ He approached the situation with quiet caution, as if trying to subdue a stinging creature. ‘I think we all need to take a minute.’

‘Boze-’ Mac started, shaking his head.

‘No Mac, look. This is… well _shit,_ man _._ This is fucked up. But we’re all family here so I think we all need to take a breath, calm down, and take a moment.’ He grabbed the broom from next to the door. ‘I’ll make the coffee. Jack, your mess, you sweep. Mac, Riley, go put some clothes on.’ He waved a hand at them in dismissal.

Riley didn’t need to be told twice. She needed a moment. Actually, she needed several. With a parting glare at Jack, she pulled Mac back into his bedroom.

The second he closed the door behind them she cursed. ‘My God. What the _hell_ … He’s _alive_ , Mac’.

‘Yeah well, don’t get too attached.’ Mac sounded crushed. ‘He might not survive the night.’ He looked at the ceiling, raked his hands over his face and glanced at the clock on his nightstand. It was almost 2:30am. He let loose a shuddering breath. ‘If you or I don’t kill him, Matty or Desi sure as hell will.’

Riley let a dark chuckle escape her and she brought a hand to her lips as if surprised she could ever make such a sound. Mac smiled in spite of himself.

She suppressed a giggle. It must’ve been shock. ‘What a _fucking day_...’

‘That is a massive understatement, Riles.’

‘I just can’t believe it,’ she whispered. Mac brushed tears from her face and pulled her into his arms. They just stood for a while, rocking back and forth. ‘Not the most _ideal_ way for him to find out about us…’ she mumbled into his bare chest. She felt him huff a laugh.

‘I have to admit, I’d been wondering what Jack would’ve thought about all this. Guess now I know,’ he said miserably.

Riley was suddenly furious all over again. ‘I’m gonna kick his ass for making you feel like this.’ She lifted a sure hand to his face. ‘I love you Mac. No matter what he says, don’t forget that.’

Mac blinked a few times before his eyes widened. ‘Wait. _What?’_

Riley smiled at him. ‘What? You hadn’t figured that out yet, genius?’

His eyes lit up as he whispered, ‘say it again.’

‘Mac, I love you.’

He closed his eyes and huffed a laugh. ‘I love you too, Riles.’ He leaned down and kissed her gently. His lips lingered before pulling her back against his chest.

‘I know,’ she whispered.

The night stretched on and Riley could’ve hidden in the moment forever, just the two of them. But their problems were waiting for them out in the kitchen and they weren’t going to wait long before they festered.

After a while, Mac tipped his head back. ‘Okay,’ he huffed. ‘I’m gonna throw some water on my face and find a t-shirt. Then I’m calling Matty.’

‘Sure that’s a good idea?’ Riley lifted her eyebrows at him.

‘No. Definitely not. But I don’t want to end up in a grave right next to Jack.’

‘Excellent point.’

Mac dipped his head and kissed her on the nose. ‘Nice shirt by the way,’ he smirked at her as he ducked into the bathroom.

Riley looked down at herself. The red and black-checked flannel really barely covered her ass. She sighed and went looking for some pants.


	10. Pile of Broken Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the dead of night and difficult conversations must be faced in the wake of recent events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So, I'm still freaking out about 5x10... anyone else? I figured I would calm the f down and concentrate on my own little version of the world for a while. So here's the next installment. I hope you like it!!
> 
> Ok. The timeline is REALLY confusing with all the time jumps and with my setting this about 3 months after Jack's funeral... I think he's been gone about 4 years but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!
> 
> Only warnings are for harsh language.

Less than ten minutes later, more respectfully dressed in her jeans and a pair of Mac’s woolly hiking socks (she kept the shirt on to make a point), Riley padded down the hallway toward the kitchen with Mac at her side. He was also fully clothed in jeans and a deep blue t-shirt, though she noted with a secret smile that, since he hadn’t been able to find any clean underwear, he was going commando. Somehow, the fact that she alone was party to that particular piece of knowledge bolstered her.

The bitter smell of coffee beckoned. Riley really hadn’t had nearly enough sleep the last few nights. She was going to need a week off to fully recover from all this shit.

Bozer’s headphones lay discarded on the counter as he busied himself pulling mugs from the shelf. Mac headed to the fridge to grab the milk. There was a small pile of wet glass and broken things in the corner of the floor. It seems the objects she’d launched at Jack’s head had included a mug, a beer bottle and a large box of paperclips. She didn’t feel too bad. Mac had plenty of paperclips.

Riley looked over her shoulder. Jack was a haunting presence watching them stoically from the chair on the far side of the living room. The harsh light from the lamp cast severe shadows on his face, which was starting to bruise. He looked dismal. Fucking _good_.

Bozer got out the cinnamon and sprinkled some into one of the mugs. For Jack, she assumed, since it was his favourite. He definitely didn’t deserve it. Mac pushed his US army cup across the counter into her waiting hands and she smiled at him gratefully. Steaming hot. Black. Lots of sugar. He smiled back at her.

A mug in each hand, Bozer bobbed his head in the direction of the living room and they all wordlessly filed over. Bozer passed Jack his coffee. Mac tossed a bag of frozen peas at him. Jack flinched as they landed with a crunch in his lap.

Bozer took the seat on the couch nearest to Jack’s chair. Mac took the far seat, as far from Jack as he could get. Riley considered the arm of the couch but decided she was too exhausted to perch. She took the middle, glad to have the two closest people in her life flanking her. Mac reached over to take her free hand and she gripped it without a second thought. Jack stared but wisely made no comment.

The four of them took a sip of coffee. It was way too hot. They did it anyway.

‘O-kay,’ said Bozer, drawing out the word. He took a deep breath. ‘So, I think we all have some questions…’

‘Yeah, just hold up a minute there, Boze,’ Jack sighed and removed the peas from his face. ‘I owe you guys an apology.’

_Ya think?_

‘Look I… I didn’t think. I really thought you would’ve figured it out. I mean you managed to take down Kovac-‘

‘Your final request,’ Riley spat bitterly.

‘You’re welcome for that by the way,’ added Mac.

‘Yeah, well,’ Jack raked a hand over his buzz cut. The quiff was gone and it was greyer, Riley realised. ‘I was an idiot.’

They were all silent.

‘Yes you were,’ said Mac.

‘Yes I was.’

‘So, about that Jack,’ Riley wasn’t about to let him off the hook. ‘We took down Kovac over three months ago. Where the _hell_ have you been?!’

‘Oh, the whole fake death thing wasn’t all about Kovac. No, that was a roundabout way to get you guys involved and finally get the case closed but there was more happenin’ than just that. No. Wait… You thought I was just dealing with Vitez the entire time I was gone?’

Mac turned his head to Riley. Bozer looked at Mac. Riley blinked at Mac, then blinked at Bozer before they all spun back to Jack and hollered a resounding ‘Yes!’ at the same time.

‘Four fucking years and never once did you even _hint_ that there was anything else going on!’ Riley slammed her coffee down onto the table. She needed a hand free in case she decided to act on the urge to strangle him.

‘Yeah well I couldn’t exactly divulge state secrets over the phone, Ri!’

'Like that was the only way you could contact us,’ Mac challenged. ‘You couldn’t get hold of an encrypted line? A burner phone? Leave a digital trail? A _paper_ trail?! Your _little girl_ ,’ he spat out sarcastically, ‘could’ve built a whole fucking encrypted network for you. Hell, you got a stranger to send me a cryptic postcard! _After_ you died!’

‘I gave you my name on that postcard, man! My alias! I thought you’d pick up the trail from that. That was what started this whole mess to begin-’

The front door slammed so hard the foundations seemed to shake. Desi charged through the room.

‘WHERE IS HE?!’ She was wearing a long cardigan over an old army t-shirt with jogging pants and…Uggs? She spied Jack and her eyes narrowed.

‘Desi! Des,’ Mac tried to get her attention. ‘You can relax. I already landed a punch.’

‘Not good enough.’ She hurtled towards Jack with a look of pure wrath on her face. He abruptly stood up from the chair and the packet of peas slipped to the floor.

‘Now wait a minute Desiree, now,’ he said, hands palm up as if in surrender (Or maybe to defend himself). The three on the sofa didn’t even twitch.

Riley raised her hand. ‘I threw a mug at his head.’

Desi looked over at her, eyebrow raised. ‘Better,’ she determined, ‘but still not good enough.’ Just as it looked like Desi was going to knee Jack in the balls, Riley heard the front door close again. This time with a quiet _click_.

She looked over. Silhouetted against the kitchen light was the shadow of Matty Webber. She just stood, motionless. Her hair was tied back like she was ready for anything. Her clothes, like her aura, were all black. There was a reddish tint to her eyes in the lamplight and they seemed to burn.

‘Boss Lady,’ Jack squeaked.

‘Dalton.’ She said and took a step forward. Jack took a step back.

Matty rounded the chair and sat down, her back ramrod straight. She folded her hands in her lap and said coldly, ‘Explain.’

Keeping his eyes on her and moving as if trying not to startle a rabid animal, Jack took his own seat. He turned to Mac and mouthed dramatically, _you called Matty?_

Mac’s eyes danced as he took another sip from his mug.

Bozer cleared his throat. ‘Coffee Matty?’

‘Later.’

‘O-kay.’ Bozer sucked in a breath.

Desi threw her hands up in exasperation and grabbed a cushion from behind Bozer, earning her a whine of protest. She threw it on the floor at Riley’s feet and sat down on top of it. Knees up and ankles crossed she settled against Riley’s legs. Desi levelled her eyes at the flag folded on the coffee table in front of her but said nothing.

‘So,’ Bozer cleared his throat. ‘Jack, you were saying something about your alias…?’

‘Right. Yeah.’ Jack shifted uncomfortably. ‘So while the unit and I were hunting Kovac, I revived an old alias to get you guys involved and draw out Vitez.’

‘Ozzy Ulrich,’ Mac said quietly.

‘Right. Sure. So I thought I was clean. I haven’t used that name since ‘97 but apparently someone was keeping tabs because an old ally tracked me down and tried to kill me. So,’ he winced, ‘not as clean an ID as I thought.’ Matty raised her eyebrows. ‘Somehow this guy- his name’s Lin- somehow he uncovered my real name. Seems the bastard now has some seriously powerful and seriously dangerous dudes in his corner. Once I knew Ozzy was blown I didn’t have many options left. I had to drop off grid completely. I had to die. I’d hoped that by getting Babic to pass on that message that I’d at least be giving you a piece of the puzzle. Maybe a way to figure it out.’

Riley was fighting back burning tears. ‘Pretty ironic how your old _ally_ turned on you,’ she spat. ‘There _had_ to be another way, Jack!’

‘He had to believe it was real, Ri! I’m sorry, guys. Really. But if you hadn’t thought I was dead he would’ve sniffed me out and come after you or the Delta boys to get to me. I couldn’t take the risk that he’d hurt you.’

‘So you just hurt us yourself instead,’ Riley snarled. She was shaking again. Desi reached above her head to take Riley’s free hand. She gave it gratefully. Desi was a steely presence at her feet. Mac put his arm around her and Bozer shuffled closer to her other side. She closed her eyes and sucked in a few steadying breaths, drawing strength from them, her family. Mac placed a tender kiss to Riley’s temple and she turned to look into his eyes. He was there with her. There was nothing they couldn’t handle.

Jack was watching Mac with a scowl on his face.

‘Mac, I see what’s going on here and I gotta say, I’m struggling to keep my mouth shut here, buddy.’

Mac actually removed his arm from around her. ‘Jack, you have no idea-‘

‘I have some idea! I know you’ve been doing,’ Jack shuddered, ‘ _Naked_ things…’

‘Enough!’ Riley slammed her hand down and the coffee table shook. ‘For the record, Jack, you have absolutely no right to have an opinion about anyone I’m dating. Ever. E-ver. Especially not after what you pulled. But if you think I’m gonna let you rail on Mac- _Mac-_ then you’ve got another thing coming.’

‘It just makes my crazy to think of his paws all over you, honey.’

‘Well his paws _have_ been all over me, Jack. Every inch of me. And mine have been over every inch of him so you either need to deal with it or maybe find something else to think about!’ Belatedly Riley looked down at Desi and winced. ‘Sorry Des.’

‘No, no. Graphic image aside, there’s no need to apologise. I mean I kind of figured.’

Mac huffed in a shaky breath and breathed into her ear, ‘Riles, maybe not good to bring up our sex life with your sort-of-father, the sniper.’ Riley took back his hand and squeezed it in silent apology. Maybe she got a little carried away.

The sniper looked like a deer in headlights. ‘Wait, wait. Hold on just a goddamn minute.’ He swung an accusatory finger at Mac and Desi. ‘You two?’

The sofa jostled as Mac shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Desi just stared at the coffee table.

Jack dipped his chin and narrowed his eyes. ‘Is there any woman at work you haven’t slept with, stud?’

'Dalton!’ Matty interjected, utterly furious. ‘Take a deep breath and try to remember, _you’re_ the asshole here.’

Jack looked for a moment like he might argue, but eventually thought better of it. He took a deep breath, as ordered. ‘Yeah, okay,’ he bowed his head and mumbled. ‘Fair point well made, Matty.’ He looked up at Mac. ‘Look, I’m not pushing but can you maybe just… explain this to me? You and Desiree were together?’

Mac settled his coffee on the table and took a deep breath. ‘Desi and I were together, for a while actually-’

‘On and off,’ added Bozer

‘There was a parakeet,’ Desi chimed in.

Mac gestured down at her. ‘Right, poor Basner. Then…then dad died.’

‘Then Codex,’ said Desi.

‘And Gwen,’ Riley said quietly.

‘Yeah. The whole missile thing, that was a mess,’ Bozer affirmed.

Mac squinted his eyes. ‘Then we were kind of apart.’

‘Covid,’ Desi added, eyes wide.

The whole team nodded. ‘Right. Covid,’ said Mac. ‘And the quarantine…’

‘Then together again for a while...’ Desi ventured.

Bozer raised a finger. ‘The er… viper thing.’

‘Yeah there’s that…’ shuddered Riley.

‘Then we were officially not together,’ Desi summarised. ‘All cool. But like, really, totally done.’

‘Then Riley,’ smiled Bozer.

Mac lifted her hand to his lips. ‘Then Riley.’ Riley smiled at him.

Jack opened his mouth to say something. Then closed it. Then opened it again, grimaced and re-evaluated. Granted that wasn’t the most succinct summary of recent events, but still. He looked dumber than usual.

Riley heaved a heavy sigh. ‘Jack, without Mac I’d be dead ten times over. And I’m not just talking about the fact that he literally saves my life once a week.’ She huffed a sardonic laugh. ‘Mac’s been through hell, Jack. And that was _before_ you supposedly blew up. You have no idea what your death did to us. _No fucking clue_. I’d be… fuck; I’d still be in pieces. So just stop torturing him. He’s done nothing but love me.’

‘I concur.’ Matty’s commanding tone rang out through the room. She was staring at Mac with a look of unconditional pride. His spine lengthened a fraction.

Time seemed to stretch on as Jack just swivelled his eyes at each of them.

‘He pulled her out of a frozen lake, like, twenty-four hours ago,’ Bozer added, helpfully. _Christ._ Was that only yesterday?

Jack closed his eyes and huffed in and out a few times. ‘Look,’ he spoke ruefully to Mac. ‘I’m sorry, okay. I’m not good at this. It’s just, I _know_ you, brother. You’re the easiest guy in the world to love but when someone wants to love _you_ , you just shut down, man… emotionally you’re kinda… broken...’ Jack let his voice trail off.

Mac didn’t say anything. He just stared at Riley’s hand in his. His knuckles were starting to bruise.

Riley pulled her shoulders back. ‘We’re all broken, Jack. Most recently thanks, in large part, to _you,_ ’ she snarled.

‘It’s okay Riles, he’s not wrong,’ Mac said, his voice small.

‘Yes, Mac, he is. He’s been gone a long time.’

‘I know. He hasn’t seen all the pain and all the shit we’ve gone through. All the heartache. But he also hasn’t seen the way we were able to pull ourselves back together, be there for each other.’ He turned to her and drew both of her hands into his. ‘You’re the only person that’s consistently seen that side of me, Riles. Desi knows I shut her down. Bozer too sometimes. But never you. _Never_ you. I was always able to open up to you, trust you with the most vulnerable parts of myself. _That’s_ what he doesn’t get; that when it comes to you, I’m about as emotionally available as anyone can possibly get.’ Mac turned to Jack and said sincerely, ‘she saved my life too Jack. She’s been saving it for a very long time. It just took me a while to figure out what that meant.’

Riley brought her hands up and cupped his face. She leaned forwards and placed a gentle, chaste kiss to his lips.

‘You were worth the wait, idiot,’ she whispered.

He leaned his forehead against hers and sighed contentedly. ‘I’m a lucky fucking idiot, that’s for damn sure.’

Desi, Bozer and Matty shared a knowing look and smiled at each other.

Jack cleared his throat of emotion, though his cheeks were slightly moist. ‘So,’ he picked up the peas from the floor and brought them to his face with a wet slap. ‘What’s all this about a frozen lake and a parakeet?’

‘Coffee, Bozer,’ Matty said.


	11. Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Large amounts of caffeine are consumed as Riley and co. learn more about Jack's time away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All! I offer you this as a humble distraction from the sad news that we won't actually be getting a new episode for a couple of weeks. I promise to try and update as much as I can. Next chapter just needs some editing so shouldn't take too long to get it out there. 
> 
> THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT! 
> 
> Lot's more sitting around in this one but they've got some stuff to figure out...
> 
> As with previous chapter, only warning is for harsh language ;)

Mac was still confused. ‘None of this explains how you ended up attacking me in my kitchen at two in the morning, Jack.’

‘How did you even get in here?’ Riley asked, suddenly curious. She looked pointedly at Mac and Bozer. ‘We did lock the door last night, right guys?’ Mac looked on the verge of a shrug. _Oh._ _Right_. They’d been… preoccupied.

‘Of course! House rules.’ Bozer pointed to the fridge and the list he had laminated during the whole quarantine debacle of 2020.

‘I had a key, man. Hidden. Outside. And _you_ attacked _me_!’

Riley rolled her eyes. It’s not like Mac was _expecting_ a long dead friend to let himself into his house in the middle of the night. An ‘attack’ was pretty much to be expected.

Wisely skipping over that monumentally stupid remark, Mac addressed the larger point. ‘You left a key to my place. Outside. Where anyone could find it? _Anyone_ Jack?’ Mac was bewildered. ‘Did you forget about the whole Murdoc thing? The Ghost?’

‘I hid it well?’

‘Where exactly did you hide it, Jack?’ Riley sighed. She was so _tired_.

‘Under that plant on the porch.’

Mac blinked. ‘The dead plant? The one I was about to throw away?’

Jack raised an eyebrow. ‘You never throw anything away, man.’

‘Okay,’ snapped Matty. ‘I think we’re getting a little of topic here, Dalton.’

Jack apologised immediately. Then, like the cowardly rebel he was, he mumbled under his breath, ‘not like it matters anyway. If someone wants in I think we’ve proven they don’t need a key...’

Riley mentally checked out of the conversation.

They were all hovering around the kitchen helping (or, more accurately, watching) Bozer make a fresh pot of coffee. Riley was immensely grateful, since her last mugful had turned stone cold before she’d taken more than a sip and she sorely needed a hit of caffeine. She kept a considerable distance from Jack, who was waving his arms around over by the fridge. To his credit, he hadn’t tried approaching any of them for a hug or anything. The mere thought of enduring that kind of intimate moment with him was too overwhelming for Riley to contemplate. Mac appeared to be feeling about the same, even dodging a pat on the shoulder as Jack made a stupid quip about his inability to keep a plant alive.

Desi elbowed her gently in the side.

‘That your doing?’ she asked quietly, jutting her chin at the broken shit in the corner of the floor. Everyone else was still arguing about the pitfalls of keeping a hide-a-key at the long established residence of two covert operatives with a long list of arch nemeses.

Riley nodded and shrugged.

‘ _Nice_ ,’ Desi approved. Bozer handed them both a fresh beverage and Riley huffed another sigh as she wrapped her fingers around the warm ceramic. Desi was eying her shrewdly. The next thing Riley knew the whiskey bottle appeared in Desi’s hand and she was pouring a healthy glug into each of their mugs. Her coffee was now close to overflowing.

‘Call it an Irish breakfast,’ Desi reasoned with a sly wink. She really was being exceptionally perceptive. Riley smiled at her and they clunked their mugs together. Mac extricated himself from the fray and padded over to them, holding out his own mug expectantly.

Desi raised her eyebrows. ‘You know this is whisky... not amaretto?’

‘Funny.’ He wiggled his coffee. ‘This morning’s the exception.’

She harrumphed and obliged him. Riley smirked as Mac took a bold slurp and his face contorted.

‘Non of _you_ found the key while I was away! Why would a psycho killer even think to look for one!’ Jack hollered. He was backed into the corner of the kitchen, hands lifted in surrender as Matty advanced. Bozer was shaking his head whilst returning the can of Columbian coffee grounds to their cupboard.

Mac took Riley’s hand. ‘C’mon,’ he said as he guided her outside and away from the commotion.

The sky was still an inky blue, that darkest of blacks before the dawn. Mac led her to the edge of the deck and took another, more tentative sip of his Irish beverage. ‘Smooth,’ he rasped. Riley smirked as she leaned over the broad wooden support and stretched out her back. The Tylenol was wearing off, but somehow she didn’t think taking any more would make her aches and pains go away.

Mac rested his elbows on the rail and nudged her with his shoulder. ‘This is probably a stupid question but are you okay?’ he probed.

‘Are you?’

Mac just stared into her eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath and pulling her into his side.

Riley mumbled into his shoulder. ‘I’m still really, _really_ mad at him.’

‘Me too.’ Mac scoffed. ‘I’m getting really sick of trying to be understanding every time a family member or role model does something monumentally shitty.’

‘He ditched us, Mac.’ The bitterness rose like bile in her throat. ‘ _Again_.’

Mac tightened his grip on her as they stood in silence watching the LA skyline. Even at this time on a morning the city was twinkling with the hive of life. The squabbling voices down in the kitchen floated across the deck in a dissonant murmur that was difficult to ignore.

‘Y’know,’ Mac mused after a while. ‘I was really looking forward to waking up with you this morning. Just spending the day hanging out in bed. Maybe bribe Bozer to make us some pancakes…’

‘Mmm,’ Riley smiled. ‘You think we’ll ever just get to relax like normal, healthy people?’

Mac harrumphed. ‘Maybe one day.’

She looked up at him. Had it only been a few hours ago that they were getting lost in each other, not a care in the world? ‘I’m about five seconds away from demanding that you take me away from here and come up with a distraction that’ll make me totally forget about all of this.’

Mac smirked and drew her mouth to his. His breath was warm and bitter from the coffee. Every stroke of his lips was soft, languid and reverent. Riley eagerly returned his fervour, bowing her body into his. A quiet moan escaped her and he smiled against her lips. When he drew back, she kept her eyes closed, stretching out the moment.

‘Oh God,’ Jack thudded his way up onto the deck. ‘Do I have to see that?’ Mac groaned. Riley heaved a sigh and opened her eyes.

Everyone got settled as Bozer and Desi hauled a couple of logs over to the pit, which was still smouldering slightly from earlier. Riley knew she and Mac should reproach themselves for being reckless in allowing such a blatant fire hazard to blaze unattended. She thought guiltily of number three on Bozer’s laminated list: ‘ALWAYS put out the pit’ (he even underlined it). But the fresh logs caught blessedly fast and just like that her guilt was assuaged. Riley shuffled close to the heat of Mac’s body and held a hand out to the growing flames. The air was fresh but the coffee was warm and burned the back of her throat as it went down. Mac disappeared briefly and returned a few seconds later with the brown tartan blanket they’d liberated from the cabin. They shared a knowing smirk as he draped it over her shoulders and sat back down at her side. Bozer raised an eyebrow at their silent exchange but said nothing. The fire blazed and the six of them enjoyed their caffeine in blissful silence.

Jack was gazing out over the deck, the light flickering in his eyes. ‘I’ve missed this place,’ he said quietly.

‘I would’ve hung a banner, Jack but we weren’t exactly expecting you,’ Mac’s tone was dripping acid.

‘Look, man,’ Jack sighed. ‘I just managed to hitch a ride into town and I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I went to Riley’s first but no one was there.’

_Seriously?_ ‘You went to my old place? Jack, I haven’t lived there in years.’

‘Well, how was I supposed to know you were shacked up with the wonder kid?!’

‘Deep breath, Riley,’ Bozer mumbled at her shoulder. He must’ve observed her body preparing to pounce.

She did take a deep breath. She took two and then she took another gulp of spiked coffee. It didn’t help ease her rage as much as it should’ve but she managed to find a calmer tone. She decided to skip over the idea that Jack had planned to announce his return from death by just showing up at her place in the middle of the night. ‘Jack, you’ve been gone over four years. Did you really just expect everything to be exactly as you left it?’

Jack looked mildly humbled. ‘I suppose that’s fair. I guess I have some catching up to do.’ No kidding. Everyone took another lingering sip of coffee.

‘So. What now?’ Bozer asked.

Everyone looked at Matty. She sighed. ‘At first light I’m hauling your ass into the Phoenix, Dalton. We have a lot to discuss.’

‘And then there’s Taylor,’ Desi added. ‘Has anybody called him?’

‘Who?’ Jack looked mystified.

‘Russell Taylor, Jack,’ Matty clipped. ‘And yes Desi, I called him before I arrived. He said he’d get here when he gets here.’ She rolled her eyes. Riley figured it must be a real pain in the ass for Russ to commute from Malibu every day. She also figured the fact that he got to speed down the coastline in whatever supercar took his fancy probably took the sting out of it.

‘Russell Taylor? Spearhead Operations Russell Taylor?’ Jack asked.

‘That’s the one,’ Desi said.

‘A lot _has_ changed,’ Jack muttered, dryly.

‘He owns the Phoenix, Jack,’ Mac pointed out somewhat defensively. ‘He saved all our asses after we were attacked and blackballed. The government pulled the plug on our funding and credentials.’ Mac glared at him. ‘So maybe hold off on the snap judgements.’

‘People can just _own_ the Phoenix, now?’ Jack looked completely disbelieving. Mac narrowed his eyes. ‘Anyway,’ Jack shook his head as if to clear it. ‘I can’t risk going to the office, Matty. And hey, you didn’t tell this Russell guy about me, did you? I mean that I’m-’

‘Very not dead?’ Russ made quite the timely entrance as he strolled out onto the deck. Riley swore he must’ve been waiting inside for the most dramatic moment to appear. His hair was a bit dishevelled but overall he looked remarkably put-together for this time of the morning, all neatly wrapped in cashmere and denim. ‘Angus, next time someone rises from the grave I think we should all carpool. Your drive is awfully crowded.’

Bozer grumbled, ‘God Dammit. Late night arguments and mass gatherings under cover of darkness… The neighbours are totally gonna call the cops. Again.’ Everyone ignored him.

Jack just looked at Mac and raised an eyebrow. ‘He calls you _Angus_?’

‘Welcome back to the land of the living, Mr. Dalton. I’m Russ Taylor. An honour to meet you.’ Russ thrust his hand down at Jack. ‘You had a lovely funeral, by the way. Very moving.’

Coffee burned the back of Riley’s throat. _This should be interesting_.

‘Actually, hoss,’ Jack rose to his feet. ‘We’ve met.’

This was news.

‘Really?’ drawled Russ. ‘I don’t recall…’

‘Bosnia ’95. Your boys were making a real mess negotiating with the Croats.’

Russ took a confident step closer to Jack’s face and, though they were similar in height, somehow managed to look down his nose at him. ‘I remember that operation very differently,’ he sneered.

Desi widened her eyes and made a high-pitched ‘ooooh’ sound into her coffee as she drew it to her pursed lips.

Matty rolled her eyes. ‘Put them away boys, I’m too tired for this. Your timing is perfect Russ. Dalton here was just about to explain why his status as a living, _breathing_ imbecile needs to continue to go unnoticed.’ Matty’s eyes were like lasers. ‘I had assumed since you’re _here,_ Dalton, that the threat was neutralised.’

Peeling his eyes away from the challenge, Jack shifted uneasily under Matty’s cool gaze. With a dramatic thud, he threw himself back down onto the deck, leaving Russ towering over him, hands on hips.

‘Of course,’ Mac spoke quietly, shaking his head from side to side. He lifted his eyes and looked hard at Jack. ‘You need our help to finish the job.’

The pit was spitting fire, shooting sparks with loud pops and crackles. Mac and Jack glared at one another through the flames.

After a particularly loud pop, Jack blinked and looked at his hands. ‘There was a time when I wouldn’t have had to ask…’ he mumbled.

Riley’s fingers reached for Mac’s knee and squeezed. She could see the war waging in his head, about whether to be incensed or completely dejected. Neither of those options were typically how Mac handled himself, especially not where Jack was concerned. But it was painfully clear that, in all likelihood, if Jack hadn’t needed their help they’d still be under the illusion that he was dead. There would be a time to figure out how they felt about all that. This wasn’t it. Mac put his hand on top of hers and laced their fingers.

His shoulders rose and fell. Steadily, he asked, ‘Okay, Jack. What do we need to know about this Mr Lin?’

Jack acknowledged Mac’s question with a look that softened his features and raised his chin. He cleared his throat and took a lingering pull from his mug as Russ kicked back into one of the deck chairs beside him and levelled his crotchety gaze. Jack was in his element. Captive audience at the ready, he launched into his story.

It seems that Jason Lin was a lowly financial analyst (‘basically a spreadsheet monkey’, according to Jack) back when ‘Ozzy Ulrich’ was stationed in Hong Kong in 1996. He was there on a deep cover assignment for the CIA to track down a corrupt broker that was somehow taking unprecedented advantage of shifting markets and political uncertainty leading up to the changeover. The broker, whose name was either Rob Chinski or Rob Clumsky (Jack couldn’t remember), a US citizen, was managing to funnel a massive amount of money into organised crime. The CIA couldn’t accurately trace all the funds. Hence, Jack. Lin was Jack’s golden bullet. It took some persuasion but eventually he convinced Lin to get involved and ‘turn hero for uncle Sam’, as he put it. Lin was able to follow the complex money trail that led straight to various international shell corporations and hedge funds, implicating many CEOs and politicos in the process, including a former British MP. It turns out that the Triads were using the funds to pay off wealthy donors for favours, mostly for silence and compliance. The Triads were hit right where it hurt: their purse strings. The CIA got Jack out clean, Lin was paid generously for his assistance and everyone walked away happy. Apparently.

‘I think I see where this is going,’ Russ murmured from behind tented fingers.

‘Yeah, well, you’d be right.’ Jack shot back. ‘Lin turned dirty. And he blames me for getting him stuck in the mud.’ He leaned back on his elbows.

‘And the Triad?’ Desi asked.

‘Lin now works directly under the head honcho. Guy named Leon Kwok. Based in LA.’

‘Kwok…’ Mac murmured under his breath. The name sure sounded familiar.

‘I managed to get an in with some Irish guy that seemed willing to roll. Triad enforcer. But he dropped off the grid a few months ago. He knew Lin because he did a restaurant deal with him and another guy a while back that turned sour. The Irish guy almost went to prison for murder.’

_No._ Riley and Mac turned to each other at the exact same gut punching moment of realisation.

Wait. _Almost_ went to prison?

Jack was searching his memory. ‘It was a French place, I think…’ He clicked his fingers ‘…Stupid name. Celebrity chef...’

‘Spoon,’ Desi mumbled, her gaze firmly levelled at Riley and Mac. Russ’s head shot up.

‘Hold up…’ Bozer swivelled his head dramatically from side to side.

Riley closed her eyes. This couldn’t be happening.

‘Well whatever it was called that’s my only lead,’ Jack shrugged, oblivious. ‘The Triad’s money is a real bitch to track. Everybody that was financially involved in that restaurant was either killed or arrested and that was over a year ago.’

‘Not everyone, Jack’ Riley murmured.

Jack narrowed his eyes at her. ‘Okay, what am I missin’, sweetheart?’

Matty elbowed Jack in the ribs (Hard, if his reaction was any indication).

Riley tipped her head to the sky. It was turning purple with the dawn. Exhausted as she was, sleep now would be fucking impossible. It was time to start the day and get down to business. And apparently, that business was now tracking down her ex boyfriend for information. Fucking _wonderful_.

‘Bozer,’ Riley raised her empty mug. ‘We’re gonna need some more legal stimulant. Hold the whiskey.’ She looked at Mac and squeezed his hand. There was no pity in his eyes, only a grim determination that matched her own. ‘We’ll be needing a clear head for this shit.’


	12. Mission Impossible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riley tries to process some new information as the team's latest plan weighs heavily on her shoulders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey All! I'm SO sorry this took longer than expected... I had some issues editing this one and then life got in the way. 
> 
> This isn't a massive chapter but we really get down to some nitty gritty stuff in the next one so it's much longer. Promise.
> 
> THANK YOU as always for reading. Your lovely comments and kudos are really spurring me on! <3

Riley stood under the heavy stream of hot water in Mac’s massive shower, staring up at the ceiling. Steam was billowing all around the room and the water was pulsing onto her skin. It was heaven. Honestly, a big part of her wished Mac would do the reckless thing and come join her. She also knew that she had to keep her wits about her and that Mac was really fucking good at scrambling them. Her head needed to be in the game. Today was going to suck.

After describing the events of last year to Jack in the vaguest of terms, the team had hatched a plan. Matty and Russ would head to the Phoenix to do some research on Donovan O’Malley to try and figure out where he might be and why, as Jack had claimed, he was never convicted for Chad’s murder. Riley was to pick up Desi at her place and drive over to Aubrey’s together later that morning. Turning up in person seemed like the best course, since this wasn’t exactly the kind of conversation you had over phone. Desi was her backup, the rationalisation being that of the two Phoenix agents (besides her) that Aubrey was most familiar with, Desi would likely cause the least ‘stir’ (Russ’ word, not hers). Mac had stayed pretty much silent through the planning stages for this little Intel-gathering mission.

Russ had offered to skip ‘all the bother’ and just haul Aubrey’s ass into interrogation, but Riley figured they should probably ask nicely first. Also, Jack looked far too keyed up at that prospect. The bottom line was that Riley had to somehow convince her ex to speak to her again. Plus, he had to speak to her about something he’d probably rather forget, if he even knew anything at all. Basically, the prospect of Jack being able to come out of hiding and officially re-join the land of the living hinged on her ability to get potentially non-existent intel out of her ex boyfriend about a dangerous criminal he most likely knew nothing about.

And just like that, her heavenly shower went to hell.

‘Riles,’ there was a soft knock at the door and Mac poked his head into the bathroom. ‘You do remember we live in California, right?’

‘Oh god,’ Riley turned off the faucet. ‘How long have I been in here?’ She reached for the towel and started to dry off.

‘Relax,’ Mac came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her towel-swathed waist. ‘I think you’ve earned a bit of hot water.’ He kissed her wet head.

She swayed slightly in his arms and smiled at his blurry reflection in the mirror. ‘You’ve been holding out on me all these years.’ Mac raised a quizzical eyebrow. ‘This shower is a-mazing.’

He chuckled in her ear. ‘I see. I kinda thought you were referring to something else. For the record, I was never holding out. It just never occurred to me that you might like it.’ His grin was wicked and Riley observed that they were no longer talking about showers.

She spun in his arms and tipped her head up to simper, ‘I don’t like it, Mac. I love it. I _really_ love it.’

‘Well then,’ he smirked. ‘You can use it any time you like, Miss Davis.’

Kissing Mac seemed to tilt Riley’s world back onto its axis again. The instant his lips touched hers, a switch was flipped. He made her loose her mind. Literally every conscious thought escaped her except for the feel of him, his breath, his touch, his tongue. It was like she was an etch-a-sketch and Mac was giving her a thorough shake.

When she eventually relinquished him, she’d forgotten why she was supposed to be keeping her mind clear in the first place. Mac’s t-shirt was damp from her dripping wet hair.

‘Guys!’ Bozer banged on the bedroom door. ‘I’m making pancakes. Get out here!’

Mac scuttled his head clear and released the vice grip on the towel at her waist. ‘Right, yeah.’ He smirked at her. ‘I came to tell you Bozer made pancakes.’

Riley chuckled. ‘Well, then I suppose I’d better put some clothes on!’

Mac had graciously retrieved her overnight bag from the trunk of the car and as he sauntered off to help Bozer in the kitchen, she stared woefully at her limited clothing options spread out on his bed.

Being prepared for anything was in her job description. At the Phoenix she’d stashed every kind of outfit from all-black tactical wear, to standout formalwear, to thermals and beachwear. She’d just never thought to plan for _this_. For one thing, when she’d packed this particular ensemble she’d only been intending to hang out at Mac’s for the weekend. As a result, she had an excellent selection of underwear and very little else.

For another thing, the only top she’d packed had been one of Jack’s beloved Metallica t-shirts. She was sorely tempted to set a match to it.

It seemed her only option was to improvise.

When she finally strolled into the kitchen for breakfast, Riley had Mac’s red and black-checked flannel back on and tied in an artful knot at her waist. Mac’s eyes roved over her as she planted herself on a kitchen stool. Something purred deep in her chest.

‘I hope you don’t mind?’ she asked. ‘I’ve become quite attached.’ She was only partly referring to her outfit. Riley didn’t miss Bozer’s eye roll as he poured more batter into the skillet and it hissed.

Mac cleared his throat and found some words. ‘You thought I’d mind that you’re wearing my shirt to go and meet up with your ex boyfriend?’ He raised his eyebrows.

Riley grinned at him. His eyes were dancing.

‘So, Bozer!’ Jack practically shouted. ‘How’s about them pancakes, man!’ Clearly, he was desperate to talk about literally anything else. He was perched on the stool nearest the wall, his bruised eye now an angry purple colour.

‘Hold your horses, Jack!’ Like the pro he was, Bozer flipped his final pancake and added it to his towering stack whilst simultaneously turning off the gas. He slapped Jack’s hand with his spatula after he attempted to pick at a blueberry with his fingers.

‘Damn, Bozer,’ Jack shook out his hand. ‘I think your reflexes have improved.’

They all perched against the counter to take their share of food and dug in.

It was bizarre, really. In that moment with Bozer, Mac and Jack all sat around her eating together, covering any awkward silences with a bad joke, it was curiously easy to believe that things were exactly how they used to be. Riley was flooded with disjointed memories from a time when Jack was always there and her family was whole. In many ways it was a shock to remember that, in actual fact, times had changed. After all, this wasn’t the Jack from her happiest memories. _This_ was the Jack that had most recently put them all through the worst kind of hell.

The memories no longer gave Riley an intense flash of sadness and pain, though. Instead, she was overwhelmed by a dull ache that tasted bitter on her tongue. She decided, at least, that this new feeling was an improvement over the old one.

After she and Mac cleared the dishes and washed up (he washed, she dried and Bozer looked on approvingly), Riley checked her watch and sighed. It was time to go.

Mac sighed back. He hooked a finger into her front pocket and pulled her towards him. ‘I know that you can and _should_ handle this on your own,’ he confided in her ear. ‘But I wish I could be there with you. I suddenly feel like I have nothing to do.’

‘And _I_ suddenly feel like a caged animal,’ Jack chimed in. Figures he’d been listening. Matty and Russ had expressly forbidden Jack from leaving the house. He wasn’t even allowed to step foot onto the deck during daylight hours. He was pretty much consigned to the living room, where it seemed he would also be sleeping until they could come up with a better arrangement. ‘I’ll keep you company, Mac. You can catch me up on everything that I missed.’

Obviously, Mac knew that the reason Matty ordered him to stay put was so he could babysit Jack. That didn’t mean he looked happy at the prospect. Like Riley, he was blatantly not ready to have Jack back in large doses. It was going to take a long while before the effects of his betrayal would be less pronounced.

‘I got you, Jack,’ called Bozer from the living room. ‘You haven’t even seen my masterpiece, man! _Love + Gun + Die_. You’re gonna love it.’ Jack looked doubtful.

Riley was glad at least, that Bozer would have Mac’s back for the day. She mouthed a ‘thank you’ in his direction and he threw her a knowing look in return.

Turning back to Mac, she cupped his face and rose up on her toes to kiss him tenderly. ‘I’ll be back soon.’ She cocked her head. ‘I’m sure there’s something for you to fix in your room.’ He snorted. She grabbed her car keys and headed for the door, determined to get this over with.

‘Be carful driving my car!’ Jack shouted after her.

She turned back and flashed her most innocent smile as she simpered, ‘You don’t have a car, Jack’ before closing the door firmly behind her. The scowl on his face was a pleasant picture that she replayed in her head all the way to Desi’s.

*****

Riley strode down the protracted hallway at a brisk pace, Desi hard on her heels.

‘Did you call?’ Desi asked.

‘Nope,’ Riley answered.

‘So, we’re just showing up?’

‘Yep.’

‘No warning?’

‘Nope.’

‘Cool. Cool.’ Desi didn’t seem convinced.

Riley hadn’t called but she had, of course, tracked Aubrey’s phone to confirm his location. Extreme circumstances called for extreme measures but still, semi-stalking her ex boyfriend sent a snaking shiver down her spine. Even accounting for all her youthful ‘misadventures’, it had felt to Riley like a brand new low.

_There it was:_ Apartment 4, her former home. Desi stood at her back, legs braced apart like she was preparing for a fight. Riley was preparing for a fight too, just not a physical one. She drew herself up to her highest height, raised her hand and pressed the doorbell with firm resolve.

There was no answer. She pressed it again. On the third try, someone with a head of perfectly styled dark hair finally yanked the door open.

‘I told the delivery guy to… oh.’ Aubrey said as he turned to face them. He looked pretty good, actually, in his expensive cardigan and his slim jeans. He always was particular about his clothes. His mouth hung open for a split second but he recovered quickly.

‘Well, if it isn’t Simon Pegg and the language specialist,’ he sneered.

So far this was going about as well as expected. Desi raised her eyebrows.

‘Aubrey,’ Riley offered him a civil nod. ‘Can we come in?’

Aubrey narrowed his eyes.

Riley added, ‘this isn’t exactly a social call and I’d rather not do this in the hallway.’

After a moment’s hesitation, he stood back to let them in, his curiosity seemingly winning out over his pride. He closed the door and they hovered awkwardly in his entryway for a moment. Aubrey crossed his arms.

‘This place looks different in the daylight,’ Desi mused, gesturing around. ‘Nice space. Lots of er… light.’

‘Yeah, not having all my stuff smashed and criminals all over the floor sure makes all the difference. Now what can I do for you?’

Riley cleared her throat. ‘Aubrey, I’m sorry to have to ask you this, but do you happened to have any information about Chad’s financial affairs?’

‘Chad? You mean my business partner and friend who was _murdered_?’ he exclaimed. ‘What the hell is this all about?!’

Riley sighed. It was cards on the table time. ‘Some new evidence has come to light about some of Chad’s financiers for La Belle Cuillère. We think that you might be able to provide us with some information that could lead to the capture of a very dangerous man with ties to organised crime.’ Riley raised her eyebrows at him. ‘Will you help us?’

Aubrey stood gaping at her for a few seconds before he tipped his head back and dragged his hands through his hair, an uncharacteristic gesture as far as Riley could recall. ‘Do I have a choice?’ he asked.

_Seriously_. Riley settled her hands on her hips. ‘Of course you have a choice. I just figured you’d make the right one,’ she challenged.

Aubrey sighed. ‘Fine.’ He motioned for them both to follow him into the living room.

There were fewer roses than on the night Riley had left, but basically everything else was how she remembered it. Everything was cold and shiny and in it’s proper place. Aubrey’s style always was a little too sparse and impersonal for her taste. She thought of Mac’s home and how chaotic and warm it was and smiled to herself. Honestly, it was difficult to believe she’d ever lived here.

‘If I have anything useful it’ll be on here.’ Aubrey gestured at his laptop on the kitchen counter. ‘Everything about the restaurant should be under-‘

‘I can find it, thanks,’ Riley said as she drew the laptop towards her and flexed her fingers. She was already past the access screen when Aubrey whistled through his teeth.

‘Right,’ he said. ‘You can do that.’

Riley ran some short code to locate anything that might be relevant from around that dates of the incident that had left Chad dead and Donovan and his ex-wife in handcuffs. She had to hand it to him; Aubrey’s accounts were meticulous. One of the things she had admired most about him was his attention to detail. She figured that was why he was so good at his job.

She could feel Aubrey lingering behind her, trying to follow what she was doing. After a while he gave up and focussed his attention on Desi.

‘Hey, how’s the boyfriend? Macgyver? The er,’ he did air quotes as he said, ‘engineer.’ Riley tensed, but managed to avoid missing a key as she pressed on.

‘Not actually my boyfriend anymore.’ Desi chimed with a smile.

‘Oh, I’m… sorry?’ Aubrey offered, clearly unsure of the social etiquette at play under the circumstances.

‘No, no, it’s all good,’ Desi waved him off. ‘He’s with someone now that’s really good for him.’

A smile tugged at Riley’s lips as she clicked away. She’d never felt more fortunate to have Desi so firmly in her corner. And that was saying something given how often Desi had kicked ass on her behalf.

‘Good for him, I guess,’ Aubrey shrugged.

_No._

Riley pulled back as if her fingers had just been electrocuted.

‘What is it?’ Desi asked, suddenly at her back.

‘Aubrey,’ she breathed, barely a whisper. ‘There’s spyware on this computer.’ He looked utterly baffled. ‘Someone’s been tracking your keystrokes, accessing your microphone, the camera, _all_ your files…’

‘But… _Why_ would-‘ he began.

‘ _Shhhh_!’ Desi threw her hand up to silence him. She leaped into action checking under tables and lampshades, turning over sofa cushions and chairs. Riley joined her.

‘What the _hell_ are you…?’ Aubrey started. Riley shut him up with her severest look and he drew his mouth together in a straight, stubborn line. She continued to grope around and under things; the kitchen counter, the toaster, around the fridge…

Desi pointedly cleared her throat. When Riley turned to look, she was holding up a bug. _Shit._

‘Aubrey,’ Riley grabbed the laptop and marched towards the door. ‘You’re coming with us.’

There was absolutely no time for him to argue as Desi seized him by the arm and dragged him out of his apartment. They’d deal with this at the Phoenix.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI I'm also over on tumblr:  
> @thecarrieonokay  
> Sometimes I post little snippets and previews over there. Feel free to come say hi!

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 2 imminent  
> Brutal feedback welcome and encouraged! Cheers!  
> -CK


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